


Acceleration

by chibipoe



Category: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun | A Certain Scientific Railgun, Toaru Majutsu no Index | A Certain Magical Index, Worm (Web Serial Novel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-06 09:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 56
Words: 99,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1853056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibipoe/pseuds/chibipoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The results of her trip into the locker yield a different sort of administration for Taylor Hebert. Overwhelming power isn't a solution to all of your problems. Sometimes it creates more than it solves. A lesson that Taylor is going to learn all too well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Vectors:

"If she's not trying, then why is she even coming to school?"

Despite the way the conversation sounded, they were talking to me. They were just pretending to talk to one another. It was both calculating in how they were managing plausible deniability while at the same time they were acting totally juvenile by pretending I wasn't there.

Well.

I could do one better. Their immature comments had long lost any appeal in even assessing how pathetic they were. I was stuck too. Emma, Madison and Sophia had crowded me into a corner with six other girls backing them up. If I tried to squeeze past them, they pushed or elbowed me back. I could get past them, but they weren't worth it. They were just words, after all. And if I wanted, I didn't even have to hear them

In fact ...

I reached out with my thoughts, made an adjustment to the space around me, just as Emma, who had been quiet for the most part, a slight smile on her face, stepped forward.

Her lips moved, sure sign that she was saying something, but the sounds never reached my ears. I could still hear the movement of people up and down the hall, but the girls around me, nothing they said reached my ears. They could hear one another, but all it appeared to me was that they were moving their mouths and pretending to speak.

Emma's expression never wavered as I turned fully from the window. Her smile, though, did widen as she clearly thought whatever she had said had produced an impact. I wondered what it was she had said. Then decided I didn't care. Whatever reason had prompted this change in her, nothing she did could touch me now. Nothing anyone did.

The moment stretched out and I continued to merely stare at her, unspeaking. Apparently my unblinking stare seemed to unsettle them as they glanced among each other. Expressions lit with gleeful malice and their mouths began moving again. More immature insults, I guessed. Maybe I should look into learning lip reading so I could acquire context, or turn off what I had done. But that would defeat the purpose of cutting off the flow of their speech to my ears, so no.

Growing bored with the entire affair, I shouldered my bag and turned, pushing my way past them. I was sure they thought it was retreating, but I didn't care. They couldn't touch me.

I didn't have to look to know that one of them, probably Sophia, moved to tangle my feet, using the grouping of the others to hide her actions. The field around me compensated and her attempt to trip me was halted as the movement of one of my tormentors drew her into the path of Sophia's attempt. There was a moment of panicked flailing and I slipped through the opening provided.

I didn't once look back to see what the results were, but from the other sounds that I could pick up, a few of the rowdier boys laughed at the scene, the ones who found everyone's misfortune funny.

Class was pointless to go to for the rest of the day. I was sure they would try something else in retaliation, blaming me, rightfully, even if they didn't know it, for the embarrassment of falling down. It wasn't anything I couldn't deal with, but the aggravation of having to avoid them, or adjust things was just that, aggravation. Better to just go home. Or to the library. Or anywhere. I could get a better handle on what I could do.

* * *

There was some sort of fight going on up ahead. A conflict between parahumans? I wondered at it, then shrugged. It wasn't as if anything happening there could bother me. I slipped my hands into my pockets and kept walking. One was a mass of blades in the vague shape of a wolf. Hookwolf, I thought. One of the Empire Eighty-Eight. The other was oriental, I thought, who kept appearing and disappearing, leaving behind duplicates of himself that usually exploded if Hookwolf didn't tear into them first.

I kept walking even as their conflict, whatever the reasons for it, continued to tear up the street. Hookwolf mauled a clone, interrupting its attempt to detonate a grenade, even as more clones appeared, each popping the pins on the grenades they held.

The explosion was visually quite stunning, I had to admit, as I consciously adjusted my field, muting the noise and dampening the light and heat so that they could not hurt me. The debris thrown out from the explosion scattered around me, leaving a perfectly formed space where nothing was touched.

Another adjustment and the air was cleared around me as well, the sense of smoke and ash fading from my perception. I stood still for a moment and then released a sigh. I tapped my foot on the ground once.  
The smoke billowed upward and away, the fires from the explosions winked out. Anything that had been heated to an unnatural degree returned to its normal temperature. At the epicenter of the blast, his blades of metal still tinged red from the heat, was Hookwolf. Oni Lee was nowhere in evidence.

I said nothing as the figure of blades and metal shifted. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was staring at me. After a moment, I shrugged and kept walking, idly shifting the debris that littered the sidewalk out of my way with my field. Somewhere distant, I could hear the approach of sirens. The PRT on its way, I assumed. Nothing to do with me, though. _None of them could touch me._


	2. 1.2

Six months prior:

 

Sounds of revulsion rang out as the lock was cut away and the locker spilled open. The contents were rancid, falling out into the floor, the smell overpowering. Amid the entire mess, her clothing stained by exposure to the waste and vomit, a slender brunette collapsed, twitching every once in a while. Silence filled the hall as the students that had gathered stared, some with derision, some with ill-looks, but most with worry.

 

"Ms. Hebert?" The school official who had accompanied the janitor spoke in a soft voice. "Can you hear me?"

 

Her lips moved, but he could not make out what she was saying. Carefully, he moved closer, grimacing as he picked his way through the debris. "Ms. Hebert?"

 

"i̧͞n̢̧v̴́ȩ̕͜͡͡r͢͢͜͟͢t͟͜t̴̶̀͠h̵͘͝͏̛èp̛͢͞͡á̵̸̶ţ̵̵̀͝h̷́r̴͘҉̛e̴̸͟͢͡v̨͠͡e̛̕͡͡ŗ̡́ş͟͝͝e͏̴̨̛d̶͟͏̀͘i̢͟͟r̛e̸̢̕c̸̀t̸̷̢͜͡ì̧ò̢n̸͠à̛͡l̷̨̢̕͢l͏̵͠a͡҉͜p̵͝͏̧p̴̛͡r̷̵͘͟͡ớ̀̕a̸҉̨c̛͢h͘͞͝e͘s̴͜͟͞b̷͢͏͏͢é͞͏n̷̵d̶̛́͜p̴͢҉l̶̨͟͟͞e̶҉̷̶͡a̶̶̕͜s̀̕͞e̵̶͡͞͞s͜͏̢͠͠t͜͠o̶p̵̨̨̀͘p̴̷̛͠ļ̵́͟ę̴̶̸á͞ś͏̨͞é̡̕͠͏s̷̵͜͝ţ͘͘͠o̡̕͠p̸̨̨ṕ̧͜l̡͘͟e҉̀́a͞͞͝s͡҉̀ę̷s͏̢̢t̴҉̶o̧̡p͏̶͢͡͡ " the official frowned at the incoherent stream of sounds from her mouth and his gaze flicked to her eyes. They were wide open, the pupils stretched until they seemed to almost swallow everything else.

 

He stepped back, swallowing. Whatever had happened to place her inside that locker, it had left her in shock, he gathered. Drawing in a deep breath, he straightened and looked around at the crowd gathered around.

 

"I believe all of you have classes," he said sternly. "Get to them, if you would." He cast a glare around until they had dispersed, then turned to the other staff that had arrived.

 

"Ambulance is on its way," the vice-principal said, turning a distasteful look at the waste scattered across the floor and the girl lying in the middle of it. "Is that sanitary?"

 

"No," the janitor said with a derisive snort, giving them both a dark look before crouching down and slipping his arms around the near-comatose girl. He lifted her easily. "I'll get her to the infirmary so the nurse can at least look her over before they get here."

 

"You're actually carrying her?" the assistant asked, looking queasy.

 

"What?" the janitor said, shaking his head. "I'm not going to leave her laying in the middle of a pile of bloody tampons and pads. Maybe you should consider exactly why she was in there, because if this was a prank, it's a pretty foul one. " He started down the hall, muttering to himself.

 

* * *

 

Present day:

 

They hadn't stopped. The school still refused my requests to transfer. I tried to report what was being done and it was brushed aside. My lack of acknowledgement of their activities since the locker had just driven them to try harder.

 

I didn't care. They couldn't touch me now, but I saw the way Sophia eyed me with suspicion whenever some attempt went awry. She suspected, but I hadn't done anything to them, just used my power to deny them the ability to do anything. It was easy, now.

 

But it was worse than the antics of a high school students. Hookwolf had seen me. And now, word had spread within his group. Which lead to the situation now.

 

Stormtiger and Cricket.

 

"We have someone who would like to talk to you." Cricket said.

 

"Not interested," I reply, turning away. There was a rush of air and Stormtiger was in front of me, blocking my way. Aerokinesis, if I remembered my research. And Cricket had accelerated reflexes as well as sound manipulation.

 

"It's just for a talk." he tried again, irritation in his voice. I wondered why, if it was really for a talk, that they had sent someone who got irritated so easily to try and convince me. Then I decided I didn't care.

 

"I said not interested," I enunciated. "Could you move, please? I'd like to go home."

 

There was a sound behind me. Cricket had drawn her weapons.

 

I sighed.

 

"It wasn't a request," Stormtiger said, looming over me, apparently deciding intimidation was the way to go.

 

"You really don't want to do this," I said, taking a deep breath. Sound manipulation. Enhanced reflexes. Aerokinesis. I made an adjustment to the space around me.

 

"Just come for a talk and no one has to get hurt," he said, claw-shaped forms appearing around his hands.

A bully. He was another bully. Both of them. Just like at school. Now I had to deal with this outside of Winslow?

 

"I decline," I said tightly. "Now go away before you get hurt."

 

Cricket laughed behind me, but said nothing. They clearly didn't think me a threat.

 

Screw this. I stamped my foot and the ground erupted, with me at the epicenter. The asphalt and concrete cracking and shattering in a rapidly growing circle. Stormtiger launched upward, and the claw shapes he had called up shot toward me. The air he had shaped dispersed and I saw his eyes widen.

 

Behind, I heard Cricket dancing through the uneven footing, using her enhanced abilities to bridge the distance between us, intending to incapacitate me or something. I didn't even bother looking in her direction as my abilities caught her and reversed all of her momentum. She slammed into the nearby wall with a thunderous crack, the surface spider-webbing from the impact.

 

She didn't get up.

 

Stormtiger shouted angrily and slammed his hands down, the air visibly rippling as he attacked. I looked up as it rushed at me and then detonated, another aspect of his powers. Fire erupted in the air between us and I heard his shout of triumph even as my power immediately dampened any heat or sound from reaching me. I let him have a moment before I exerted myself and dispersed the fire and smoke.

 

His eyes went wide as he saw me standing there, unscathed.

 

I don't think my smile was very nice as I spoke.

 

"My turn."

 

I nudged a rock at my feet onto the top of my shoe, then kicked it into the air. It rocketed up at speeds my careless gesture could not have produced and he swore, barely avoiding the projectile.

 

"Hah, you missed!" he snarled. "Now I'm gonna-"

 

Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted as the rock changed direction and slammed with bone breaking force onto his shoulder. A choked sound emerged and one of his arms dropped to his side, useless.

 

"You're going to do ... ?" I asked, trailing off, then shrugged. He swung his other arm at me in an arc and I rolled my eyes. Again? When it didn't work the first time? How unimaginative.

 

I stamped my foot again and broken pieces of pavement shot upward. Too many for him to dodge. They pelted him mercilessly and exactly five seconds later, he dropped to the ground, unconscious. The way he landed made me think that his other arm was now useless too.

 

I waited for a moment to see if either was going to stir or if someone else was laying in wait. When nothing happened, I walked away. Maybe dad would make spaghetti and his special garlic bread if I asked.

  
I had not even gone a block when the street around me was flooded in darkness.


	3. 1.3

This. I didn't know what this was. It resisted my field, both the passive and when I tried to actively move it. Everything felt off, like it was weighted down by wet blankets. What was this?

A memory passed my mind from when I had been researching other parahumans for a project. One of the villain groups had someone who manipulated darkness. Was this an attack from him for some reason? I grimaced, trying to ignore the oppressive weight and the difficulty I was having in using my powers. I hadn't done anything to anyone without them instigating, so maybe this had nothing to do with me. I nodded to myself after mulling over my reasoning a bit more. That made sense. I just happened to be in the area where they were doing whatever they were doing.

Well. I didn't like this darkness. Not being able to see is a problem if you're out for a walk. And it was darkness. Not shadows. But complete inky blackness. There weren't any distinguishing features for anything wherever I looked.

I paused briefly as a random though that the darkness was going to eat me alive and leave nothing but bones behind before shrugging it away. The time in the hospital had left me with little to do beyond reruns of some old science fiction show. No one had powers like that, that I knew of.

I took a deep breath, trying to work around this darkness with my own power. It seemed to interfere with my own powers so I wasn't sure how much I could do, but at the least maybe I could clear some space so I could see again.

As it had any time I tried to do something new, my vision seemed to shift, the variables around me manifesting as equations that I immediately understood. I couldn't see where this darkness was coming from, but I didn't need to. I wanted a free space from it. The equations answered and I made adjustments, testing what worked and didn't. It didn't appear to have substance, or at least not any substance that I could move around with it interfering with abilities. But maybe I could ...

I stood there for a moment longer as I processed what I needed and adjusted my field. Around me, for about five feet in any direction, the darkness receded. Daylight was visible there and I wondered briefly if the darkness was entirely a matter of being perceived rather than actual. I dismissed it as if it were just something someone was making me see, it wouldn't interfere with my powers this way.

Still, with my cube of space, I could see again, so I started walking.

I had to stop several times, turning to look as I could hear sounds in the distance, muted somehow by the darkness outside of my cleared space. Explosions?

Silence fell again and I resumed walking. I kept listening for the sounds but I had to stop several times as the calculations I had made needed adjusting. The darkness kept trying to force its way back around me. Was its creator aware I had pushed it away and trying to blind me again?

I grimaced. I hadn't calculated for the increased exertions from the creator of this mess. How annoying. The space I had claimed was already starting to fray. Maybe if I ...

The darkness abruptly receded and I blinked, looking around curiously. I was standing not far from a street corner and as I looked to my left, I saw a group of people on what looked like some huge mutant monstrosities. They barreled down the street past me and I watched them pass by. There was one I recognised as female whose head turned toward me, blonde hair streaming behind her. The upper half of her face was covered with a mask and for a moment, our eyes met. Then they were gone and I wondered what they were running from, if anything.

I started forward, intending to seize the advantage that the lull in traffic offered and crossing.

There was no warning for what came next.

The moment I stepped into the road, I had a split second to realise something had crossed the range of my field. There was a thunderous retort, followed by a flash. My head whipped around and I stared at the person tumbling away across the pavement. It was only when he rolled to a halt and I had a good look that I identified him.

Velocity.

And he wasn't moving.

"No," I whispered and rushed toward him, eyeing the way his limbs were arranged, that his head lay. Was his chest rising? Panic welled up and I slid to my knees beside him, reaching toward his neck to check for a pulse.

"Move away from him," a harsh voice ordered and I turned my head, frozen in the act of reaching toward Velocity, to stare at the new person.

Armsmaster. And his weapon was pointed at me.

"I said," he began and I flinched at the way his voice raised, immediately adjusting my field to modulate the sound.

"I'm-" I began in the same moment, leaning forward some more to check on Velocity. Please let me not have killed him. Please. Oh god.

There was a crackling sound and something roared toward me. A projectile launched from his weapon's tip and hit my field.

It was immediately reversed, smashing into the Protectorate leader with the same amount of force that had been directed at me.

"What the hell!" I shouted, staring at him as he staggered, nearly being knocked over. "I was trying to-"

He didn't let me finish.

"You will move away from him, now, then submit yourself for arrest for assault with a parahuman ability." he said, overriding me. He wasn't listening, wasn't letting me finish. Why?

"Look, I'm trying to-" I started again, only to be interrupted a third time as one of the huge things from earlier reappeared abruptly, slamming into Armsmaster and sending him tumbling. He tried to rise, but the beast caught him between powerful jaws and shook him the way a dog would before tossing him aside. I blinked and saw two more skid to a halt beside me, the blonde from earlier staring down at me and offering a hand.

"Come on, before he gets up," she said urgently, glancing toward where the hero lay. "He won't stay down long and he already has made his mind up about you. If you want to go to jail, or worse, then all you have to do is stay here."

Jail? I frowned, running back what had happened through my head. I felt the color leech from my face. Oh god. He thinks I attacked Velocity on purpose. That I was trying to... kill him? Something else? I felt sick.

"Come on," the girl repeated, worry clear in her voice. I took a deep breath and stared at her hand for a moment longer, then shook my head.

"No," I said clearly. "I need to fix this. He's hurt because of me. Thank you, but no."

"T, we need to go," the one with a motorcycle helmet emblazoned with a skull said, his voice a deep growl. "We'll have incoming shortly."

What I could see of the blonde's face showed frustration as she glanced at Velocity then to where Armsmaster was stirring. Her shoulders slumped slightly and she nodded. There was a sharp whistle and the dog things bounded away down the street once more. I watched them go, then turned back to Velocity and began checking him over.

This close, I was able to tell that his chest was rising. Still breathing. That was good. One of his arms was bent at an awkward angle and I guessed it was broken. Not dead. That was good.

I could hear the distant sound of sirens and I sighed as I kept watch, wary as Armsmaster was starting to rise, albeit slowly.

Having Dad's spaghetti for dinner was apparently something the universe didn't want me to do.


	4. 1.5

Armsmaster got to his feet and shook his head. He was clearly shaking off the effects of being used as a chewtoy. With Velocity apparently suffering from nothing more than a broken arm, I straightened, dusted off my pants and looked in his direction.

"Before you kept interrupting me and then attacked me, I was trying to tell you that I was trying to see if he was alright," I said, feeling a fair bit of disgust now that the edge of worry that I might have killed someone inadvertently was fading. "You should probably get him to a hospital, though."

"You interfered in the pursuit of parahuman criminals and injured a member of the Protectorate," Armsmaster countered. "I have access to the video feeds showing your actions. You responded with hostile force after I instructed you to move away."

I stared at him. "Are you even listening to yourself? I was trying to make sure he was alright. And, before you go on, he," I indicated Velocity with my foot, "crashed into me. I didn't even have time to move when I noticed he was there."

"Cooperate and it will be easier for you," he said gruffly. "We have video of you, it will be a simple matter of finding you at home if need be. Your parents might not take kindly to us coming to arrest you there."

I felt my face freeze in place, fighting the urge to scream and stamp my feet. He had apparently made up his mind about me. Ugh. Standing here trying to talk to him was pointless.

"I'm leaving," I announced. "Make sure he gets some medical attention and tell him I'm sorry about that, it was an accident."

"Remain where you are or I will have to incapacitate you!" Armsmaster said.

"Yeah, sure, good luck with that," I muttered absently, shoving my hands into my pockets and turning to walk away. I heard that crackling noise again and I assume another projectile was launched at me and deflected. I wondered what it was. Some sort of concussive device, maybe? Meant to stun, perhaps. I heard a muttered profanity as he dodged his own attack. He started ranting more at me to stop and I frowned. Did this guy ever stop talking?

Oh well. A quick adjustment and I couldn't hear him any more. I felt my field ping several more times as he tried other things with no more success than the others. Eventually, though, it stopped. He wasn't willing to leave Velocity to pursue me, I guess.

I felt cold as I remembered him mentioning coming to arrest me at home. Would he really do that? The way he had just made up his mind and hadn't really considered anything I had said did make him seem pretty unreasonable.

I sighed as I kept walking. Home wasn't far away now and maybe dad wouldn't have started dinner. I could convince him to make his garlic bread and then I guess I had something to tell him.

* * *

" ... Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"The garlic bread is really good."

"Thanks."

"The spaghetti too."

"I'm glad you like it, Taylor,"

"And I think I'm now considered a villain by the Protectorate."

"That's nice, Ta- What?"


	5. 1.5

The video feeds of multiple traffic cameras and any closed circuit security systems that she could access scrolled across the monitors, the information assessed in an instant.

There. She focused herself on that exclusively, watching a distant camera that had captured a running battle from days ago between Hookwolf and Oni Lee. It had ended when Oni Lee detonated multiple clones in a bid to kill Hookwolf. It had failed. The amount of collateral damage though, had been surprisingly small.

Now she knew why. The video showed a figure, a slender girl, walking down the street absently. Dragon slowed the video, watching as debris thrown up by the final act of the fight bent around the person, leaving a perfectly spherical area untouched by the explosion.

The girl stood a moment, her head turned toward the flames and smoke that was billowing out. A minor gesture, tapping her foot on the ground, and the smoke and fire dispersed, exposing Hookwolf crouched at the center of a crater. The girl stood there for a moment, apparently making eye contact, before continuing on.

Dragon considered what she had seen, then accessed another video feed, more recent. The lack of audio was a complication, but only a minor one. Two members of the Empire Eighty-Eight. Stormtiger and Cricket. Hookwolf's close accomplices, approaching the girl while she was passing through their territory. Conversation exchanged, the two followers of Kaiser growing irritated with the girl's apparently refusal.

The ensuing conflict was short and completely one-sided.

Some sort of imitation ability, Dragon wondered. A Trump? Possible, but equally something else. The dispersal of the heat and flames from Oni Lee's grenades and the way the area around her was undamaged meant it could be any number of things. It was hard to tell from the angles afforded in the recording, but she appeared to have mimicked and improved upon Stormtiger's aerokinetic powers.

She dismissed the speculation. There wasn't enough displayed examples to draw any proper conclusions.

She forwarded her search on, tracking the girl as she walked away from that. Darkness blanketed several streets and she lost track of her for a bit until it dispersed.

Dragon watched the Undersiders barrel past the girl and the events that followed. Were it possible, she would have sighed. Oh, Colin ...

A shift of her attention and a video feed of the Protectorate leader came up. He was glowering at something before him on a work bench, his lips moving occasionally as he muttered. She opened a text window.

Guild.Dragon: You have a minute?

PHQ.Armsmaster: Trying to repair these after that business when Velocity got hurt. What's up?

She adjusted her systems and sent the call.

"Colin," she said as he fitted on a headset. "You should be resting."

"Can't," he said shortly. "Have to fix this. The impact knocked a lot of the circuitry out of alignment. Several pieces have to be replaced. The inertial dampeners were overloaded trying to compensate and are fried, those will need fixed as well."

"Colin."

The tools he held dropped to the table, his voice raising. "What? We've been dealing with the recent eruption of E88 and ABB conflict for days. The only good thing about that mess is Lung hasn't taken the field much directly. This other group, the Undersiders, playing hit and run in all of this. And now, fuck, what happened with Velocity ... "

"Colin." Dragon tried again, then raised the volume. "Colin! Listen to me. Velocity was not your fault."

"Maybe not," he said, grudging as a video of the girl stepping out into the street and Velocity's collision came up at Dragon's command. "But what happened after was."

"What happened, exactly? I reviewed the data from your cameras, but it only shows me the events up until something knocked it offline." she asked. "I had to access traffic cameras for the rest and no audio for those."

He scowled. "Another thing I have to fix."

"Colin," she said, her image appearing on the screen and smiling at him. "Focus."

He sighed. "I was following Velocity for backup as we pursued the Undersiders. He was, you'll note, carrying one of my cameras with an earpiece so we could keep in touch. I saw the feed up until the girl stepped into the street. Then the feed went crazy before cutting off. I came up on the scene a few minutes later and she was crouched over him, reaching toward his throat. I-" He cut off and exhaled.

"I saw him down and he wasn't moving and the device was also to monitor his vitals, to see how use of his power affects him for a project I have in mind, it wasn't registering anything at all. I ordered her to move and she didn't immediately agree. He had been pursuing the Undersiders and then she just happened to step out. I assumed she had done something intentionally."

"And?"

"When she didn't do what I said, I moved to incapacitate her, decided the situation could be sorted out here. I fired the stun cudgel. And then she did ... whatever that was she did. I tried to engage her verbally, but whatever it was she did made the blow hit hard. Then I got run over by that damn dog of Hellhound's and when I came to, she was still there."

He grimaced. "What I did after that isn't very clear. I think one of those hits addled my brain. I still attempted to subdue her, threatened her with being arrested by PRT squads in front of her parents." Colin shook his head, looking disgusted.

"She walked away then, correct?" Dragon prompted.

Colin nodded. "Yes. And I tried to subdue her again. With as little effect as before. At least I avoided getting hit by those."

"You've been checked over?"

"Yes," he said. "They had the Dallon girl come by. I'm fine. Just have a lot of work in front of me. Fixing all of this. I ... I think I screwed up here."

"You could have handled it better, yes," Dragon said. "But, your conclusion was not out of the realm of possibility."

"I tried to run her face through a recognition system, but I came up with nothing. Have you had any luck?"

Her avatar shook its head. "No. Nothing in any of the local high schools. I'm expanding my search wider, though. I'll let you know what I find, if anything."

"Thank you," Colin said, his face stony as he regarded the parts of his suit that he had partially disassembled in preparation for working on them. "Let me know whatever you find."

"I will, Colin," she said, giving him a smile. "But be sure you get some rest."

"I want to at least reseat the lens on the camera, then I will," he said absently, but her image had already vanished from the screen. He stared at the table for a long moment then shook himself, picking up his tools even as he replayed the actions from the day before.

"I have to fix this," he said to himself, and resumed work.


	6. 1.7

"So, you're a parahuman," my dad said, looking shocked as he settled back into his chair. "And it happened after the ... locker. That was why you were ..." He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

I nodded. "The things I could see, all the ways things moved. It was too much. It took a while to get a handle on it."

"When did you find out?"

A shrug. "At first, I thought it was just some sort of Thinker ability. I found myself getting distracted with things. Someone would be walking by and I'd find myself calculating exactly how much force their movements generated, what sort of disturbance they cause in the air. Things like that." I paused and felt a faint smile surface briefly. "Math got really easy."

"Then?"

"I went to clean up some stuff I had spilled in the kitchen," I explained. "The mop had apparently shifted in the closet. When I opened the door, it fell towards me. But it didn't touch me. It rebounded and hit the wall of the closet pretty hard."

"What-" my dad began, then paused, thinking, before he continued, "What can you do."

It was my turn to be silent as I considered his question and how to answer as simply as possible. "Easiest way of explaining it without going into a lot of complicated math is to say I redirect."

My dad blinked. "Redirect? Redirect what?"

"Everything."

* * *

My dad was going to ask more questions, but there was a knock on the door. We exchanged looks and I held up a hand.

"I'll get it," I told him. "I know it's a lot to take in." He nodded and I rose, heading toward the front door. The knock came again just as I reached the door. I glanced through the hole and saw it was a man, perhaps his late twenties or early thirties, with a neatly trimmed beard. I didn't know him, but he looked vaguely familiar for some reason.

I opened the door. "Yes?"

"Taylor Hebert?" He asked, sounding uncomfortable for some reason. I nodded and he took a deep breath.

"May I come in? I'd like to speak with you," he asked. I tilted my head, trying to determine what was familiar about him. Hearing him speak made me want to frown. Where had I spoken with this person before?

"Um, certainly," I said, stepping back to allow him to enter. "May I ask why?"

"A variety of reasons," he answered. "Not the least of which is an apology."

An apology? I frowned. "Alright. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Thank you, water is fine," he said simply. He stepped inside easily, with a confident, if wary, motion.

"Dad!" I called out. "Could you get some water, we have a guest."

"Sure," I heard him reply and I lead the stranger to the living room, indicating one of the chairs.

"Your father's here?" he asked and there was definitely some uneasiness in his voice now. I wondered why.

"We were having a talk," I shrugged. "What is it you wanted to talk about, Mr. ... ?" I trailed off.

He looked even more uncomfortable, then sighed. "Colin. You can call me Colin. And well, I'm here on behalf of an individual you recently met, to offer an apology and explain that there isn't going to be any actions taken against you."

"You're with the Protectorate? Or the PRT?" I asked, my hands tightening on the chair I had reclaimed.

Colin nodded. "I am. The circumstances surrounding your encounter with .. Armsmaster were reviewed and he himself," his face twisted oddly for a moment, "wanted to tender his apologies for his behavior. The initial encounter, he felt, was a reasonable conclusion to the information he had, but overall the situation as a whole was handled poorly. Given that, it was felt that it would be better if I came to deliver this instead of Armsmaster himself."

He gave an embarrassed smile. "My job, among other duties, is to smooth over situations like this. There were several factors in play there, most of which you weren't privy to and so on behalf of the Protectorate and Armsmaster himself, I formally apologise."

I considered this, then sighed. "He was kind of a jerk. Didn't let me explain and jumped right to trying to attack me."

"In his defense," Colin said, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon, "if you came upon a comrade downed under unusual circumstances while in pursuit of a known criminal group and the person apparently responsible reaching toward him with unknown intentions, what would be your response?"

I thought about that, then nodded reluctantly. "I suppose I can see that, under the circumstances."

"In addition," Colin continued, looking hesitant now, "I was asked to ascertain your interest in joining the Wards."

Dad came back with a glass of water and Colin accepted it with a word of thanks. Dad didn't appear to be particularly happy and I wondered how much of this he had heard as I refocused on Colin.

"I'm not," I said simply. He blinked, then scowled for a moment, before smoothing his expression out.

"Might I ask why?" he finally queried.

I shrugged. "No particular reason."

"We could offer you resources to learn more about your powers-" he began.

"She told you no," my dad said, apparently having settled into anger after everything I had told him. "Is there anything else?"

Colin held up a hand and sighed. "Fair enough. I had to ask. All the same," he produced a business card and held it out to me. "If you should change your mind or if you need anything, anything at all, my contact information is there. As well as a contact for Armsmaster."

I accepted the card and then glanced at it. It was a plain card, with his name, Colin Singer and a contact number. What interested me was the emblem printed on it. It was a blue visor-like shape on a silver background and a different number beneath that. I recognised the emblem. Hell, I'd once owned some underpants with that emblem imprinted on the front. I flushed at that thought, then looked up at Colin, my eyes widening as I realised what it might mean.

"Are you ... " I trailed off, unsure how to ask what I was thinking. My Dad looked confused as Colin said nothing in response to my half-formed question.

"Again, my most sincere apologies, Ms. Hebert. If you need anything, let me know." he said.

"One thing," I asked, still stunned.

"Yes?"

"Is Velocity alright?"

Colin smiled. He had a nice one, I decided. "He complains of soreness, but he's perfectly fine. Even the arm. We have excellent contacts."

He rose and I nodded, folding my hand around the card carefully. "It was nice talking to you, Colin. I'm glad he's alright."

"As I said, let me know if you need anything," he rose, then paused. "Just so we're clear, though, a few people do know about your status, but it isn't something that is being spread around so you shouldn't have any worries on that front."

"Thank you," I said. Colin excused himself and left, leaving my mind awhirl with thoughts.


	7. 1.7

School again.

Dad had convinced me that I should go, but I truthfully didn't see the point. Math was ridiculously easy since the locker and other subjects were too. I ended up bored out of my mind as I outpaced anything the teachers were trying to instruct. Overall, the time spent there became an exercise in frustration. Emma, Madison and Sophia hadn't let up, if anything, they'd started upping the stakes as their efforts fell on my intentionally deaf ears.

I wondered what they were going to do as I finished off the quiz that the the algebra teacher had dropped on us. I didn't know why he had but given the looks I kept noticing from Emma and her cadre suggested they had something in the works.

The bell rang and I began gathering my things, careful to avoid rising until any of her cronies were clear. I had to keep an eye out constantly for any attempts at physical intimidation and use my field to carefully redirect them so it appeared like they would just miss or things thrown at me were off-course. No matter how satisfying the idea of throwing back whatever they did at them was, it wasn't worth the aggravation.

"Taylor, if you could stay after, please," the teacher asked. I blinked as I was shouldering my bag, then noticed the smirks directed at me as Emma and company left. This was probably their doing somehow.

"Sure, Mr. Keller," I absently replied.

The door closed and it was just me and the teacher.

"Taylor, I have some concerns about your efforts in class," he began, his expression somewhere between stern and uncomfortable.

"What is it?" I asked, frowning. "Did I miss anything on the test? I took a moment with that last one as it was something I hadn't seen before ..."

His expression settled on stern. "No, you didn't miss anything. It was perfect. All of it is perfect. And that's the issue. I haven't determined how yet, but I've reviewed your previous performance in class and I want to make it clear that I take a very dim view on cheating."

I stilled, the words not immediately making sense to me. "Mr. Keller, I am not cheating."

"You pay little to no attention in class," he said. "And yet somehow all of your work is flawless, even superior to students who have maintained a straight A's since the year began. Your efforts before the ... incident were average, at best. If this continues, I will bring my concerns to the the remaining faculty and the Principal. Start presenting your own work, Ms. Hebert, or there will be consequences."

"I am," I insisted, irritation flaring briefly at his words. Then it hit me. This. This is what they had been smirking about. They smiled and charmed and now they're attacking me through the teachers.

Mr. Keller shook his head. "Consider this your warning, Ms. Hebert."

I clenched my fists at the uncompromising tone of voice he said that in, turned on my heel, and started toward the door. I wanted to rail at him, to shout about this. But I had already seen the futility of that. Still, I couldn't resist the last word.

"I am not cheating," I said over my shoulder, then I glanced at the equations still scribbled on the whiteboard. "And the third one from the bottom is wrong. X is twenty-eight, not 13." I didn't wait to see if he had a response, heading out of the classroom.

Near my locker, they were waiting.

"Well, well," Emma opened. Sophia was leaning against my locker, blocking my access to it. I stared at her. She returned a bored look.

"So, Taylor's been cheating in class," Emma continued. "Pretty sad. So desperate for attention that she resorts to that."

I tuned Emma out. I didn't use my power. I just ignored her. It was just words and I could always cut them off if it got really annoying. My focus was on Sophia.

"I need to get into my locker," I said.

Sophia made a careless gesture and looked at Emma. "Did you hear something?"

This again. Bullies. It was really getting tiresome. My field felt like it was sizzling at the back of my head. The need to do things growing with my irritation at all of this.

Emma said something in response and there was some laughter, but I ignored it, not taking my eyes from Sophia. She couldn't do anything to me now, but that didn't mean I had to just ignore them.

"Move." I said, almost surprised at how hostile I sounded. Sophia blinked and straightened.

"Oh, Hebert's trying to grow a spine, is she?" she sneered, starting to loom over me. One hand came up and she moved to push my shoulder. I used my field and her attempt ended up flopping weakly in the air. A frown appeared on her face briefly and she stepped closer, staring down at me balefully.

I admit, I thought briefly of seeing how long I could draw out her trying to shove me and missing constantly by the barest of margins but as she made another move to shove me, I let go of my conscious control of my field.

Sophia's attempt to shove me rebounded and she staggered away from me, unbalancing and then crashing to the floor. I opened my locker quickly and took out what I needed, then closed it. Sophia had gained her feet just as I locked it. There was fury in her eyes.

"Think that's funny, Hebert?" she snarled. "Some weirdass kung-fu bullshit? You're going to pay for that."

"I told you to move," I retorted, moving so that Emma was behind me and to my left slightly. "Your own fault for not listening. And yeah, weird-ass kung-fu bullshit, we'll go with that."

"You're gonna pay," she repeated.

I laughed. "Really? How? What could be worse than what you've already done? You got away with it, but kind of hard to top the locker." I assumed direct control of my field again as her temper broke and she lunged. The motion was turned to an undignified stumble that carried her into Emma.

They went down. Somehow dragging Madison down with them without any effort from me. That made me smile as I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked away. There would probably be repercussions from this. They'd spin it somehow, but I found that I simply didn't care. They couldn't touch me, none of them, but that didn't mean I had to just ignore what they were doing.

I needed to think about this.


	8. Chapter 8

52.75% chance she would be caught if she went that way.

 

Her breath burned in her lungs and she wanted to cry. A question she wanted to ask burned in her mind but she refused. Asking would make it real and then she would know. All that mattered was that she got away from him.

 

The numbers changed constantly and the way her head hurt worse each time she asked a question. That man was doing something. Some sort of power. She ran, but his men were constantly catching up or forcing her in directions she didn't want to go. She had evaded so far, but the numbers were getting worse.

 

A shout rang out and she almost jumped, fighting the impulse to start running.

 

82.3% chance they are trying to spook her so they resume pursuit.

 

A deep breath, then another. The ache in her head eased a bit. Two roads. She knew the numbers for the right. The left?

 

100% chance of escaping him.

 

Her eyes widened. 100%? That had never happened before. She didn't hesitate. Breath still burning, her legs trembling from exertion, Dinah Alcott threw herself into a run down the left road. Her eyes briefly looked a street sign as she did, noting that it was a one way street.

 

* * *

 

"I'd like to extend my apologies for the unfortunate actions of my colleagues toward you," the platinum-blond haired man before me said smoothly. Another from the Empire Eighty-Eight. "They were over-eager in their attempt to introduce you to our group."

 

I gave him an unamused look. "They tried to bully me into coming with them and then attacked me."

 

He nodded slightly, an almost regal gesture. "I don't deny that. Your intervention may have saved one of ours from death and we wanted to convey our gratitude. They are not the most personable and their eagerness to meet with you and feel out whether you would be amenable to a further association was ill-advised. They departed without approval."

 

I sighed. "Not interested, like I told them." I eyed him. He didn't seem hostile, but moods could change quickly. "You're not going to do as they did and not take no for an answer, are you?"

 

He sighed regretfully. "I shall defer to your wishes. But, if I may ...?" When I didn't object, he continued. "Despite the ill-feelings instilled by Stormtiger and Cricket, we would prefer to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. If we do not bother you ... "

 

I shrugged. "I don't look for trouble."

 

"Something of a truce then," Victor nodded. I didn't agree or disagree, I just turned and walked away, idly mulling over their reasons for approaching me. It had to be more than just a desire to convey gratitude. Hookwolf had been caught at the center of the blast, sure, but I don't think he had been in any real danger. Something else to worry about, I supposed.

 

Of more concern was events at the school. I had let my field apply its passive effect against Sophia rather than consciously diverting their physical assaults in tiny ways. Thankfully for her, she hadn't applied enough force to do any serious harm. But if she had, it could have been bad.

 

And I wasn't at all bothered by the thought. I simply didn't care. That worried me more than the thought of Sophia splattered across the hallway. The fact that I wasn't bothered by the thought was more upsetting than the actual thought.

 

I fished around in the depths of my wallet, retrieving the card that Colin had given me. His name and the number beneath it, side by side with Armsmaster's emblem and a different number. I thought of the conversation at home and what I had speculated in my thoughts. Was Colin Armsmaster? Was that even his real name? It felt like it might be, but my powers didn't come with a lie detector.

 

He had said that if I needed anything, I could contact him.

 

I stared at the numbers. One was Armsmaster's, the other, Colin's. Or they were both to the same person if Colin was Armsmaster. He hadn't explicitly said he wasn't Armsmaster. Just that he had been tasked with tendering the official apology. Maybe he thought of himself as two separate people?

 

I had no way to be sure and replaced the card. Making that call required some more thought. The last thing I wanted to do was word things poorly. Calling and telling him to help because I'm afraid of what I'll do if they continue likely wouldn't go over well.

 

I turned onto a different street, noting how the sun was starting to go down. I had an excellent view of the bay and the way the sunlight played across the water was pretty. Even the ship graveyard held an ethereal quality, coated in orange and golds. For a drawn out moment, I simply stood there, taking in the sight and relaxing.

 

A pained cry broke me from my reverie and I turned my head. Roughly twenty feet from where I stood, a girl had come off of a side street, turning in my direction when he feet tangled and she went down.

 

"Hey," I said, frowning as she tried to get up, failed. Her torso was heaving as she tried to gulp in air and even at the distance, her clothing looked dirty and torn. She had straight brown hair that was fairly disheveled. Dark smudges were visible on her arms. Dirt or soot. And, before my field bent it away, I caught a brief taste of that acrid scent smoke carries. "Are you alright?" It was a stupid question, honestly. She clearly wasn't, but I had to say something.

 

I walked over and crouched down, carefully helping her into a sloppy seated position. Her face was red and she was still gulping air. Closer, I could see that she had several bruises and scrapes. And with how she was running. Was someone chasing her?

 

I didn't have to voice the question, as a group of armed men swept into the suddenly empty of people area around us, accompanied by a man in a black body suit with a white snake on it.

 

"Nowhere else to run," he said, his voice oddly muffled. "You there, step away from the girl."

 

All of the men were armed and there weapons were pointed in my direction, the meaning clear.

 

I smiled. And I knew it wasn't a nice one. Then I straightened and stepped in front of the barely conscious girl.

 

"If you know what's good for you," I said simply. "You'll turn around and leave."

 

"We're taking the girl," the man said.

 

"No," I replied softly, "you aren't." He shifted, a sign of irritation and made a small gesture. Three of the men came forward, spaced far enough apart to keep from interfering with one another. Their obvious competence might have been unnerving months ago, but now, it was almost laughable. They were wary, but the speed at which they approached said they didn't view me as a threat.

 

The center man moved to use a taser on me. I didn't wait for my field to repel him. The force produced by his arm moving forward was redirected, magnified and the taser crumpled. He made a sound as I overdid it and his hand and fingers turned into a oddly angled mess. Seconds later, all three tumbled into an unmoving heap at the feet of the costumed villain.

 

"So," he said.

 

The remaining mercenaries raised their weapons, all intent on me. I considered this. I didn't want to kill them, and bouncing bullets back would do that. Maybe if I ...

 

Their weapons fired as I extended my hand. The bullets all slowed, and it almost seemed like they made ripples in the air as they came to a halt, suspended before me. I picked one out of the air, staring at it for a second, then let it fall to the ground. I looked at the others, then at the ground, and they all fell at once, punctuated by multiple metallic tinks.

 

"Last chance," I said. "Go away and leave her alone."

 

"Parlor tricks," the man snarled. He was shaking. From anger? I wasn't sure. "Take her out! Triple pay!"

 

They charged.

 

I tapped my foot on the ground, much as I had done against Stormtiger and the pavement erupted into a broken mess. The men were all down. The costumed man was moving to run now, panic replacing his anger.

 

"You're not going anywhere," I muttered and kicked a rock. It shot across the space between us, slamming into his back with enough force to send him tumbling. Tapping my foot again and I smoothed out the pavement, bending a portion of it around the legs of the men. I pinned all of the costumed man's limbs, just in case.

 

The girl was staring with wide eyes at me as I turned to face her.

 

"I'm going to use the phone over here so I can call someone," I told her. "Do you want to stay here? None of them will be able to touch you, I promise. And I'll be right over there."

 

"I'd like to stay with you," she said in a small voice. I nodded and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile before holding out my hand.

 

"I'm Taylor."

 

"Dinah," the girl said quietly as she placed her small hand in mine.

 

We walked over to the phone booth and I fished out the card again, staring at it for a moment in consideration. Decision made, I tossed some coins in and dialed one of the numbers on the card.

 

Someone answered after two rings. "Yes?"

  
"Hi, Colin," I said. "This is Taylor. Listen, you said I could call you if I needed anything ..."


	9. Chapter 9

The PRT transports were moving away with the men in custody. One of them held only one person, the costumed man. I sat under an overhang with the girl, Dinah. She hadn't wanted to move very far from me and a paramedic was checking her over. Her injuries hadn't seemed too severe, some scrapes and a twisted ankle from when she fell. What really got me was the things the medic couldn't fix.

The look in her eyes. Whatever had happened to get her running like that, it had left its mark. The look was haunted and I recognised it. I'd had the same look after Mom.

I felt an irrational surge of hate and turned to stare at the transport holding the costumed man, then looked away. It would be satisfying, but ultimately wouldn't serve any purpose. The authorities would deal with him.

I was a bit saddened that Colin hadn't been able to come himself, but our brief conversation had suggested that a lot of things were going on that demanded his attention, though he had made sure to dispatch a PRT squad to pick up everyone I had subdued. He had mentioned that a consultant for the PRT was on hand and would be coming to assist as well.

Beside me, with the medic having finished her check of Dinah, the girl had curled up, leaning against me and fallen asleep. Her hand still held me even so, holding it like it was her only lifeline.

"She should be fine," the medic said in a low voice, so as not to disturb her. "Rest will take care of most of her problems." I nodded at this and the woman packed away her kit before departing.

The lead PRT officer, a Danica Wilson, approached, in the company of an almost unhealthily thin man.

"Ms. Hebert, this is Thomas Calvert. He's a consultant from Fortress Securities and a former member of the PRT." she introduced us and I nodded absently, wondering why the man's stare was so unsettling. He offered his hand and he had a firm handshake, but all the same, I couldn't shake the notion that I was being measured.

"Ms," she said with a smile. "We wanted to thank you for reporting this. Is there any place we can drop you off while we go return the young lady to her relatives?" Her smile slipped a bit at that statement, confirming what I had begun to suspect from the way Dinah had been staring blankly.

I was silent for a moment and then looked at her. "I was just out for a walk when this all happened."

Dinah stirred, looking groggily around. " 'aylor?"

"Shhh," I said soothingly, slipping my free arm around her awkwardly. "We were just looking to see about getting you to your relatives."

The groggy look receded, replaced by a distant one. "Twenty-two point three percent chance of being taken if I go to them."

Danica and Thomas Calvert exchanged looks and Danica dropped into a crouch. "Dinah, we've taken the men who tried to take you. They won't bother you again."

Dinah shook her head, an almost frantic gesture, and her hold on my hand tightened. "The n-numbers d-don't lie. Twenty-two point three percent chance I'll be taken if I go to my aunt and uncle."

"Dinah," I said softly, a thought occurring to me. "When you say that, are you seeing it? What do you mean?"

She swallowed. "I see numbers. Tells me chances. Hurts."

Danica and Calvert exchanged another look and he adopted a thoughtful expression before speaking. "A parahuman ability, perhaps? Would that be why they came after her?"

"Possibly," Danica said before looking back to Dinah. "Dinah, we're going to go to the PRT headquarters, would you like to come with us?"

Dinah looked at her for a moment, then to me. "Will you come with?"

I nodded. "If you want me to, sure."

Danica nodded. "Alright, we'll head over there and then we can get some people looking into things in a more secure environment." She straightened. "You'll see about finishing up here, Mr. Calvert?"

He nodded, though he seemed distracted for some reason. "I can supervise, yes."

"Perfect, if you'll both come this way, then. We've got a transport ready," Danica indicated a dark truck with the PRT logo on it. I rose and Dinah stood as well, not relinquishing my hand as we walked over to go to the PRT headquarters.


	10. Chapter 10

The room they escorted us to after we arrived was nice. A couch with a low-lying coffee table in front of it. They had brought us some snacks and drinks. I'd tried a cookie, but Dinah had succumbed to fitful sleep, her head in my lap. She made occasional sounds that told me her attempts to rest were not peaceful.

It was just the two of us at the moment as Danica had excused herself to make some calls. She'd advised me that i could ask the guards for anything as she was posting two given the potential that Dinah would be a target.

I wasn't worried about anyone taking her while I was here, though. I didn't know what my limits were yet, but nothing I had done in testing the past few months gave me even a hint of actually having any. It was a bit frightening, actually when I thought about it, honestly. If had a direction, more precisely, a vector, I could control it. Some of the things I envisioned being capable of, though, required knowledge I didn't have. Yet. It was something I hoped to change as the range of what I could do would expand enormously if I was correct.

Dinah shifted and made a pained sound. Without even thinking, I moved a hand and lightly brushed my fingers through her hair. The gesture had an immediate effect and she subsided, though what I could see of her face suggested she was still pained. I frowned, worried about her. She hadn't explicitly said so, but based on the look in her eyes and the words of the PRT agent, I was fairly certain that her parents were dead. Worse, she might have been witness to it.

The man in the body suit. I couldn't think of who he might be, but I wasn't familiar with all of the heroes and villains in Brockton Bay. I had followed them for a bit, before, but since the locker, I'd had other concerns. Whoever he was, I was rather unhappy with him. Dinah was a little girl and he taken her parents, hunted her like one would a fox or such. All for what? Her power? Something even more unsavory?

I wandered off into thinking of things he could have been after her for and felt a little sick. Having powers didn't mean you couldn't be utter scum. There wasn't, unfortunately, a requirement that you be a decent person to get them. Otherwise, why would we have things like the Slaughterhouse 9. Or the Endbringers.

The door opened quietly, drawing me from my unpleasant thoughts. Colin appeared, looking rather tired and nodded to me before settling into a chair.

"Busy day?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Unbelievably so," he murmured. "We'd been dealing with surges in conflict prior to your meeting with Armsmaster and it seems like today everything decided to go crazy. We've had city hall breathing down our necks and had to pull all our available assets to try and deal with everything. It seems to have quieted down, though we had to call in a contractor to assist." He looked displeased for a moment, then it smoothed out.

"That man, Thomas Calvert, I assume?" I asked and he nodded.

"You're alright?" he asked.

"They couldn't touch me," I said, then glanced at Dinah. "She, on the other hand ..." I trailed off with a sigh.

"Dinah Alcott, you said her name was?" he asked, tapping on a portable tablet as I nodded. He grimaced at whatever he saw there. "Ah, yes. Unpleasant bit. And she may be a parahuman. Hrm." He frowned at something.

"Percentages," I said. "Stated if she went to her relatives, there was a twenty-two percent chance of being taken."

"Precognitive, Thinker," Colin said absently, his expression growing intent. "Excuse me a moment, Taylor. I need to make some calls and someone will be back in to check on you soon." He left quickly, still with that focused look on his face and I watched the door close, bemused.

"My but people come and go quickly here," I said to myself whimsically.

* * *

Colin Wallis strode with purpose, worrying over the information he had on hand and coming to a disturbing conclusion. The sudden activities today. The Travelers striking at one bank, the Undersiders another. Another round of Empire Eighty-Eight and ABB fighting along with the general nuisances that were the Merchants. And while the Protectorate and Wards were dealing with all of that, this villain they knew little of, Coil, leads a strikeforce after Dinah Alcott. The attempt results in her parents being killed and her being chased until she encountered Taylor.

"What's the status on the transports bringing in the soldiers and this Coil?" he asked brusquely as he approached Danica. She was one of the PRT's more effective agents and one he'd worked with in the past.

She sighed, looking somewhere between anger and resignation. "I took charge in bringing Ms. Hebert and Ms. Alcott in so we could be sure she was safe against other attempts." He nodded, not letting it show that his suspicions were that were she was was irrelevant as long as Taylor was present, from what he knew so far.

"Calvert was accompanying the transports bringing in the prisoners," she went on and now he knew it was anger she was exhibiting. "They got hit a few minutes ago. Hard and fast. Calvert took a pretty nasty bump, is the report I'm getting. This Coil character and his men escaped."

Colin took in a slow breath. "Anything on who was responsible for the escape?"

She shook her head. "I sent a request up through the appropriate channels to see if Dragon could find anything, but the traffic cameras in the area were taken out just before by an unseen assailant. It was well-executed and professional, whoever was responsible. Calvert said transports were hit from the side and he was out for a short time and came to to find the prisoners gone."

"Damn," he muttered. "This entire thing stinks."

"Coincidences are usually not," Danica said with a scowl. "Has the Mayor be informed?"

"I'm on my way to contact him and get some others in," Colin told her. "We still don't know what this Coil's abilities are, if any and as much faith as I have in your people, I want more on hand in case of anything unforeseen."

Danica chuckled faintly. "I'm not offended, Colin. There are limits to what we can deal with, I know."

He nodded and moved off after touching her shoulder, already accessing his phone and dialing a number.

"Mayor Christner, please," he said, looking at his tablet and sending a message to Triumph while he waited to be transferred.

* * *

Dinah had apparently relaxed from whatever had plagued her sleep when the door opened again. This time, it wasn't Colin. It was, assuming I had the face right from when election time came up, the Mayor. And beside him was Armsmaster.

I looked at Armsmaster first, trying to decide if my suspicion was right. The beard could be the same, but the helmet obscured much of his face and so it wasn't possible to get a good of the lines of his face beyond what was covered by the beard.

The Mayor looked at me, then to Dinah and I saw relief in the lines of his face. Was he her uncle?

"Ms. Hebert," Armsmaster said, his voice a baritone rumble. "Let me apologise in person in addition to what Colin has already relayed."

I nodded, permitting a small smile. Even if I was right, I wasn't going to be crass and parade the information about openly. "It was a misunderstanding, but thank you."

"I don't know about all of that," the Mayor said carefully, "but if I am given to understand correctly, I should be thanking you, young lady."

"It was what anyone would do, I'm sure," I said politely.

"I'm not so certain," he disagreed. "But nonetheless, you have my gratitude." He looked uncertain for a moment, then looked to Armsmaster. "You mentioned some issues?"

"Unfortunately," Armsmaster said grimly. "The individual that made the attempt on Dinah escaped from custody while in transit. We're still investigating how this was accomplished precisely, but our concern is that, given her apparent abilities, he will attempt to kidnap her again."

"And Dinah has parahuman abilities?" The Mayor asked, frowning.

"Some sort of precognitive ability if my understanding is correct," Armsmaster said. "Given her ordeal, we're disinclined to acquire specifics. I suspect she'll be largely incapable of its use for a few days. The medical team who looked her over noted some of the signs of overuse for powers of that type."

"Are there any we can task with keeping a watch on her?" the Mayor asked. I observed the byplay in silence. Armsmaster had some sort of angle here, but he was waiting to suggest it to the Mayor for some reason. "Triumph, perhaps?"

"I've advised him of the situation," Armsmaster said carefully, "I have a suggestion, though. It will seem unorthodox, sir, but hear out my reasons before you decide."

"Should I go?" I asked quietly before he could continue. "I'm not a PRT member, or a Ward or anything..."

"Stay, please," he asked, holding up a hand before turning to the Mayor. "Given the architect of the assault on your niece's escape and the fact that Ms. Hebert here was involved in preventing that, I would suggest Dinah remains with her. We'll assign a rotating cycle to remain on or near the premises with her so that they'll both be guarded."

The Mayor looked uncertain, glancing at me for a moment. "I don't disbelieve you, Armsmaster, but when you say she was involved in preventing it, are you saying ...?" He trailed off and Armsmaster looked to me, a question in his demeanor.

I made a decision.

"Mr. Mayor?" I asked, drawing his attention. "The reason the men and their leader weren't able to take Dinah is because I stopped them. I'm a parahuman."

Armsmaster made a rueful sound. "My first encounter with Ms. Hebert was a comedy of errors, unfortunately, but what I have determined of her abilities leads me to believe that keeping Dinah close would be the best course of action. Not, as I said, that I'm trusting either of their safety to just that, you understand, hence the supplement from our assets."

I blinked and looked at the Protectorate leader. "What you determined?"

"I've seen footage of the encounter with Stormtiger and Cricket," he said simply.

"Oh."

The Mayor still looked dubious, but he nodded his consent. "If you're certain this is best. Ms. Hebert, again, my sincerest gratitude. If there's anything I can do, let me know."

My hands tightened a little at the words. My mind flashed to the school and what was going on there. "Actually, Mr. Mayor, Armsmaster. There might be. I ..." My voice failed me as I tried to find words. How did I say this without sounding like I was demanding a reward for helping Dinah?

I cleared my throat again and took the plunge. "There is something I'd like to talk to Armsmaster about, Mr. Mayor, and it might be something you could do for me, if it isn't too much trouble." I had their full attention and I took a shaky breath. Here goes nothing ...


	11. Chapter 11

Interlude 1a - Armsmaster

Sometime between then and now:

The reports on the screen almost stared at him in accusation. 

Dragon's efforts to gather information on the girl had been thorough and now he knew who she was and where to find her. More, he'd learned other things that were highly disquieting. This incident six months prior had to be when she gained her powers, but the reports she had found tucked away on an antiquated pc used by the administration containing Taylor's claims regarding the incident were most damning.

She had made accusations against those she believed responsible. And the school had taken no action. There were other reports, all documented to electronic format and then shoved into a non-descript named folder. Some overzealous clerk, perhaps? He had no way to tell that for sure and it truthfully didn't matter. 

Still, he needed more to justify action if he were to bring this to the Director. And there was still the matter of addressing the potential issues with Taylor herself. Dragon had forwarded what video she had found to him and the casual ease that she'd crushed Stormtiger and Cricket with was terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time. Dragon suspected aerokinesis or possibly some sort of Trump ability to mimic and improve upon powers used against her.

He wasn't so sure. She hadn't even done anything but stand there when he made his ill-starred decision to try and subdue her. Further review of the Velocity crash showed him bouncing from a point several feet away from her. Some sort of field around her? A passive effect in addition to the active one?

Colin grimaced at that thought, that his attempts to subdue her were swatted aside by some sort of automatic defense.

It was humiliating.

He shook his head. No. That line of thought was pointless. How to fix this.

Several options were reviewed and discarded, then he set one of his inventions to working, spitting out a polished business card. He applied a different last name to it but placed it beside his logo as Armsmaster.

Briefly, the thought of his poor choice in merchandising products when he first started out occurred to him and he scowled. That had not been one of his smarter decisions. The idea of underpants with his logo on the front... what had he been thinking?

Colin sat the card down and accessed a terminal, quickly cobbling together basic information and applying an entry into the list of PRT employees. Outright stating it left him uncomfortable, but the details on her grades showed a definite level of intelligence. If she figured it out as he thought she would, that was one thing. Telling her another. 

All she would need to connect Colin Singer, the PRT's handpicked representative for smoothing away unfortunate issues for Armsmaster, and Armsmaster, would be in her hands. And there'd be nothing that, if lost, would reveal this fact to anyone else. The card would disintegrate if separated from the person it was intended for after a certain amount of time.

Nodding to himself, he went to find suitable clothing. He had apologies to offer. Apologise, build rapport, and then see if he could get her to open up and give him more information about the situation at Winslow once he had her confidence. Her faith in authorities could not be particularly strong and that was the first thing he had to correct. The fractures his own actions had created first. Then, other issues.

* * *

Sometime sooner between then and now:

His helmet clattered onto the table and he released a sigh. Gods, he was tired. This was insane. All this activity, all at once? Some of it could be random. E88 and the ABB were a simmering pot waiting to boil at any time, but the Travelers? The Undersiders? They had contained it, but the feeling that there had to have been a purpose behind it escaped him.

His mind flashed to the call he had gotten. Taylor. Some sort of issue had come up. He had passed it along, being occupied with getting bounced around by Trickster's antics at the time. Now he could look into it.

His phone rang and he picked up, the ring telling him who to answer as. "This is Colin."

"Colin, it's Danica. Listen, we're bringing in the girl, Dinah, and her companion, Taylor. We've got a troop of hired soldiers and a downed parahuman. Info we got from you pegs him as Coil, based on the costume. He was apparently trying to abduct the girl, Dinah Alcott."

That name. He frowned, then felt his eyes widen. "The Mayor's niece? Any idea why?"

"Possibly a parahuman. Precognition in the form of percentages, is my guess."

He nodded, though she couldn't see it. "And you brought her and Taylor in? Has the Mayor been informed yet?"

"Concerning that," she said, "not presently. There's something else. We tried to make contact with her parents first and received no response. Police reports we accessed show that the neighbors reported loud sounds. The parents are.. well, they're both dead."

"Damn," he said, grimacing. "And the girl?"

"Exhaustion, a few minor injuries, a turned ankle is the worst of them. We broached getting her to her relatives but she informed us of a twenty-two point three percent chance that she would be taken if she went to them. Since, when she's coherent, she's staying pretty close to the young woman and refusing to be separated if she can help it."

"An attachment because of being saved?" he mused aloud, though to himself. Danica knew him well enough to recognise the tone.

"Sir ..." she began. "I saw the street where the soldiers were. What the hell did this girl do? It looked like she'd tried to smooth it out, but it was still wrecked. What sort of power has she got?"

"Nothing concrete yet," Colin told her. "Not enough information for a proper classification. Suffice to say, letting the girl stay with her should be fine for the moment. I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, sir," Danica replied and he cut the call, his thoughts racing. Precognition. And she found Taylor. If it was precognition, then it's entirely possible she had seen her best route of safety was with Taylor and that was fueling her need to stay nearby. He considered that. Dinah Alcott was the Mayor's niece as well.

He started up the small shower adjacent to his lab so he could get cleaned up and changed before heading to the PRT headquarters. All the while, he began considering options as the germ of an idea started to develop. Now how to sell the Mayor on it when the time came ...


	12. Chapter 12

Interlude 1b - Coil

One week ago:

Thomas Calvert grimaced, dismissing the other option as the events spiraled out of control. It looked like things were going well, his distraction issued and they moved to take the girl, but she evaded the soldiers somehow and lead them right into the middle of a conflict between the Empire Eighty-Eight and the ABB before he could have them pull back.

He sat at his desk, doing paperwork as he considered this and the day to come. Perhaps she was sighting his attempts and using her ability somehow to evade his men. No matter. He could try again tomorrow, or as often as he needed to. If she escaped again, he'd be able to eliminate options for her. It was only a matter of time until there was no way for her to avoid capture.

Six days ago:

A second time. Irritating, but little more. He had identified the methods she used this time and would advice his men to be alert for them.

Five days ago:

A third time? This was progressing past irritation. But it only reaffirmed that having her in his possession would grant him an unbeatable edge. Still, he had the advantage and could try as many times as he wanted without anyone the wiser. The advantage was his, always.

Four days ago:

How? This was becoming absurd.

Three days ago:

Coil collapsed the timeline, shaking his head in disgust. Perhaps he needed to take a more active role in all of this. Something to consider.

Two days ago:

.... He was glad that only he recalled these events. His men would quit if they did.

One day ago:

A birdbath? Really?

Today:

ABB and Empire Eighty-Eight were fighting over territory or whatever insipid plan they had. Perfect. This time, he would direct more actively. He sent messages to his vassals and dispatched his soldiers, with a double operating as Coil so that he could focus on using his powers and relaying results to them. Finally, the girl would be in his grasp.

He kept an ear on the radio reports and other sources, noting exactly when Wards and Protectorate stretched their numbers even thinner to address the issues his vassals had created.

Perfect.

"Move in," he said into the headset, turning his attention to the camera feeds they were carrying with them. In the other, he had them wait. They forced into the house roughly but quickly, aiming to disable any adult occupants before they could react. Then it was just a matter of taking her from her room.

A grimace appeared on his face as conversation was exchanged between his double and the parents. The father had a weapon. He noted that for reference and watched as the mother started fighting as well. The primary camera was damaged, the picture becoming static-distorted and he switched to another, observing the signs of a scuffle and then shouting. The father yelling for his soon to be pet to run.

A door slamming somewhere in the background, then swearing from his double and bullets rang out. Followed by two thuds.

"Report." he said coldly.

"The parents are down," was the reply. "And the girl is on the run."

He paused a moment, listening to the reports he was getting on the disturbances and how the Protectorate, PRT, and Wards were occupied. This was not optimal, but if he made full use of his power now, committed to this course, he could leverage victory. With the authorities occupied, he would never have such a perfect arrangement of distractions in his favor.

"Pursue. I will relay instructions as needed," he said, dismissing the choice where they had waited at his orders. He divided again, observing as the soldiers moved efficiently in direction of his goal.

What followed took longer than he expected. But it again reaffirmed his decision. Tired, dirty, likely in a great deal of pain from using her power, the girl led them on a merry chase. He split constantly, choosing the best options that narrowed her avenues down. She was canny, but too young to fully leverage her gifts to their fullest. It was only a matter of time until she was cornered.

He noted that his double was growing more irritated. Unsurprising, the girl was proving quite resourceful and seeing her escape repeatedly had to be an annoyance when you were that close to the situation.

A report came in that she had gone down a one-way street. He checked the street map, noting that it opened onto a road that had no outlet. He gave instructions to move some of the soldiers around and block off the road so she would be pinned against the buildings. It was over. The men moved forward in both timelines, one aggressively, the other cautiously.

The aggressive option turned into a cacophony of screams so fast he blinked twice, watching as they had moved to subdue a bystander that was tending to his pet. Noise overloaded the earpiece and he swore, jerking it away even as the video feeds died. He collapsed that, staring at the scene.

What had just happened?

A frown appeared. There was a boy... no, a girl.. standing near his pet.

"Intimidate," he said, splitting just before he gave the instructions.

"Nowhere else to run," his double said. "You there, step away from the girl."

In the other:

"Offer compensation for her to back away." he said. Whatever had happened, he was confident the girl was involved, but it had occurred so fast that the cameras had given him little to work with.

"You, move," the double said. "This is not your business. Twenty grand to walk away and leave her to us."

She laughed. The sound sent a chill down his spine even as he stood there, distant. His double said something else, offering more and she answered with something profane, moving in front of the girl. He stared at the image, memorising her appearance. Slender. Dark hair, curls. A high school student? She seemed about the right age, but none of the female Wards matched her appearance.

His attention refocused and cursed his lack of it for a moment. Lacking direction from him, his double had carried on, his efforts offending the girl. She had decided his double's intent was that of the lowest scum, judging from her invective. He gave the order to attack, watching closely.

Bullets shot at the girl, carefully aimed to avoid his pet. The brunette didn't flinch, or try to evade. And yet nothing touched her. There were several screams and five of his windows with feeds went dark. What had happened? Deflected the bullets back at them?

The girl was smiling now, and it was not a pleasant smile. It stretched a bit too far and he thought her eyes had shrunk a little. Her lips moved and then, just like before, everything went to hell.

He collapsed to the first.

"If you know what's good for you," the girl said. "You'll turn around and leave."

"We're taking the girl," his double retorted.

"No," she told him, "you aren't."

He split again.

"Rook, Bishop, and Knight," he said. "Move forward. Flanking. Bishop, attempt to subdue her with a taser."

In the other:

"Flash grenades," he ordered. They were deployed, then rebounded before ever reaching her. Several cameras shorted out and those that remained gave him hints of fire in counterpoint to screams from his stand-in. He grimaced, observing the other.

The three men approached, keeping equal distance from one another. Bishop moved to taser her. Before he reached her, he fell back, choking off a scream. A glance at one of the other feeds showed that his hand had been pulverised, the fingers bent at odd angles. Still the girl hadn't visibly done anything but stand there. Telekinesis of some sort?

A moment and the three crashed to the ground before his stand-in. Calvert grimaced. He had committed, but this was rapidly degenerating and his splits so far hadn't yielded any better results. Best to call this a wash and arrange for the recovery of his men. He began sending a message.

"So," he heard his stand-in say, apparently at a lost after several minutes without input from him. The soldiers opened fire and the girl held out a hand. Thomas Calvert released a loud profanity at the image before him as the bullets all slowed to a stop in the air before her.

What the hell sort of bullshit was this?

Then, to compound matters, she plucked one from the air, looked at it for a moment, and let it fall. The rest dropped a moment later.

"Last chance. Go away and leave her alone."

"Parlor tricks," his stand-in snarled. "Take her out! Triple pay!"

And now, the girl took action again. She stamped her foot and all of his cameras but the one giving intermittent bursts of static with his stand-in died as a sound like stone rending came over the speakers. He managed to piece together that the fool was running when there was a choked cry and that camera went out as well.

Thomas Calvert gave the now blank screens a disgusted look, then turned to answer the phone that began ringing a short time later.

"Thomas Calvert here," he said.

"Mr. Calvert, this is Danica Wilson with the PRT," a pleasant voice said. He checked the number that had been called, confirming that it was related to his company.

"What can I do for you?" he asked.

"We've got a bit of a situation and needed to request your assistance, please," she said. "Standard rates apply. I'm forwarding the location info, if you could meet me there to assist in containment?"

He glanced as it came across his email, eyeing the location. It was where his men had gone down. And the PRT wanted his assistance in clearing things. He split timelines.

"Certainly, Agent Wilson," he said smoothly. "I'll be there shortly." In the other, he offered agents, but politely declined being able to come personally. If they knew that he was Coil, he would know and be mindful of this. If not, well ...

Perhaps he would be able to gather something from this debacle.

* * *

Taylor Hebert.

So that was her name. This irritant that had ruined his acquisition of his tool. He mused on that while he let the medics tend to the injury he had taken in 'Coil's escape. Once that was done, he delivered his printed report of the escape and went home. Once he was securely within his own walls, he dropped the timeline where he had not gone out at Agent Wilson's request. It was unneeded now.

Then, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

Three rings and a voice answered.

"Ms. Livsey," he said urbanely. "I have a task for you."


	13. Chapter 13

Trajectory  
2.1

Dinah did not stir in response to my earlier moment of tension and tried to organise my thoughts. Armsmaster and the Mayor were both watching attentively.

"I won't bore you with all of the history," I said haltingly, the words tight in my throat. "But the situation at my school ... its..." I stopped, swallowed. I could do this. I could. Just push the words out. Like tearing off a band-aid or a scab. One quick motion.

"Right before Halloween, certain students shoved me into a locker and locked me in. It was filled with female hygiene products that had been, I guess, put in before the weekend. I was in there for several hours." The words tumbled out in a rush. "I was hospitalized for weeks because of what happened to me while I was in there. And since I've come back to Winslow, they haven't stopped. Nothing as obvious as the locker. But it's constant and they won't stop and now I'm like this and I'm afraid that I'll do something terrible. And I don't want anything for helping Dinah, but this probably sounds like I'm expecting it when it was just the right thing to do-" Armsmaster raised a hand and I trailed off, feeling my breath coming in sharp gulps.

"Ms. Hebert, it's all right," he said, his voice sympathetic. "With your permission, I'll give the Mayor some more detail?"

I stared at him. "You know ...?"

"After our encounter," he elaborated, "I was thorough in finding out what I could. I didn't want another misunderstanding to arise. I've a good deal of information on the situation, yes."

I exhaled and then nodded once. Armsmaster turned to the Mayor, said something and they moved closer to the door, speaking in low tones. I didn't try to listen in, not wanting to hear whatever he was saying. He'd researched me before he sent Colin, or came himself if they were the same person. So he knew before I even started speaking and he hadn't looked at me oddly or judged.

The Mayor's face grew increasingly stern at whatever Armsmaster was saying and he nodded here and there.

"Ms. Hebert," he said gravely as they approached. "What you've experienced was completely unacceptable and you have my sincerest apologies. Rest assured, the matter will be looked into. Regarding the fact that you've requested a transfer away from Winslow." He paused. "I believe there is a waiting list at Arcadia currently,"

My heart sank into my stomach as he stopped. No. I couldn't go back there.

"But in light of current circumstances, I don't see that the teachers there will be burdened by one more student," he said and I blinked. Did he mean ... ? "I'll see about expediting matters quickly. Armsmaster, you'll look into the rest?"

"I will," he said simply. "I'll keep you advised."

The door opened and a young man entered, looking rather upset. His eyes scanned the room, nodded to the Mayor, then fell on Dinah.

"Is she ok?" he asked immediately.

"Exhausted," I said, wondering who this was. A relative, perhaps? He was fairly well-developed but as I looked, I noticed a definite resemblance to Mayor Christner. His son, I guess. "But physically, I think she's ok." I didn't elaborate on anything else as I am sure he knew.

"Are we taking her home?" he asked, glancing to Armsmaster, then the Mayor.

"There are some concerns that the individual responsible could try again," Armsmaster said carefully. "And her own talents appear to support that. Given that this Coil escaped before reaching the PRT HQ, we're taking the possibility that he'll move against Dinah and possibly Ms.Hebert as well very seriously. I'm intending to refine the details, but at present, we'll be keeping them together with guards. Location hasn't been decided yet, however."

The young man frowned and looked at Armsmaster, a questioning look on his face. "Is that ...?"

"I do admit to reservations," the Mayor said, "but Armsmaster has my confidence in this. He's certainly more experienced in such matters than I. In any case, it isn't your place to question his judgement." The words were definitely a rebuke to his son and now I knew there was something I was missing in terms of context. The young man flushed at the words, then turned to me, crossing the room and offering his hand.

"I'm Rory. Rory Christner. Thank you for looking after my cousin." he said politely. I shook his hand. He had a firm grip without being too much so. A nice smile too. My thoughts drifted for a moment into an an entirely inappropriate direction before I returned the smile.

"I didn't do anything special," I demurred. "Just in the right place at the right time."

"Modest," the Mayor said, shaking his head. "I approve, but you did a good thing, Ms. Hebert. You shouldn't downplay that."

"It was just what anyone would have done," I mumbled, reddening slightly.

"I need to communicate with some colleagues and make sure of our arrangements," Armsmaster said. "If you'll remain here? I'll have someone bring some more substantial food by for you both." He looked at the Mayor. "Mayor, Mr. Christner, if you'll both come with me?"

They nodded and excused themselves. I caught a glimpse of one of the guards outside the door. A cape, but I didn't have enough time to determine who before the door closed and Dinah and I were alone again.

* * *

Dinah was awake and we were riding, in a PRT transport, to our destination. Armsmaster claimed to have spoken briefly with my dad and that he was amenable. Our house wasn't large, but there was enough room to spare. Armsmaster said there would be agents making regular patrols of the area in addition to the two Wards members he had requested from another city's Wards program. It would make things a bit cramped, but we had the space.

Dinah hadn't said much since she woke, merely staring at people with haunted eyes and occasionally flinching if someone came too close and stepping closer to me. I wished there were more I could do for, but for the moment, I just kept her hand in mine, giving her a smile whenever she looked to me.

That man.

I thought of the man in the suit again. The one responsible for her having this look in her eyes. And I was angry. It wasn't the anger that had been building as Emma, Madison, and Sophia kept their campaign up. This was something else. This man had killed her parents, hunted her and now she was here with me, looking pale and drawn. From what I had gathered when talking to Rory for a bit, it was not like her at all.

And it was all this Coil person's fault. And he had escaped.

I was going to do have to do something about that, I thought. He would try again, I was certain.

I frowned and shook my head at the thoughts. He might. But I had to make sure Dinah was safe first and foremost. And if the opportunity arose...

Well, I don't think Coil would be an issue any longer when it did. I would make sure of it.


	14. Chapter 14

Dad was busy when we arrived, carrying some trash out. He had been cleaning out the unused rooms, I gathered. I wasn't sure who the Wards that Armsmaster was going to be stationing here were, as they were out of state, but I hoped I would be able to get along with them. It was somewhere fairly close, if I remembered right. New York, perhaps? 

I wondered what we were going to do about food with the extra mouths. Would they cover their own or provide money? Did Wards members even need to eat? Did they just absorb nutrients from the air or the sun?

I paused at that thought. I needed to get something proper to eat myself, given the direction my thoughts were taking. Maybe Dinah would like it if I made lasagna.

"Hi, Dad," I said, as we stepped from the transport. He brightened upon seeing me and I felt a twinge about not having called him. Colin had to let him know everything was fine, but I had been concerned for Dinah and it slipped from my mind entirely.

"Taylor," he said. "You're all right?"

I nodded. "Dad, this is Dinah." I crouched down beside her. "Dinah, I'd like you to meet my dad."

Dad crouched down as well, but he kept a safe distance to avoid alarming her. "It's nice to meet you, Dinah."

For a long moment, she didn't say anything, but I saw her lips moving as if she was saying something to herself. Numbers? Then her face crumpled and I saw tears well in her eyes. Oh, Dinah, I thought, guessing what question she had just gotten an answer for. She released my hand and threw her arms around my neck, burying her face against my shoulder. Danny looked alarmed but I just shook my head, carefully rubbing her back in soothing gestures even as I slid my arms around her. I rose, lifting her. She was light, but even so, I had to take a moment and adjust for the effects of her extra weight.

"Let's get you inside," I murmured softly and my dad led the way. PRT agents were keeping watch and I was thankful for the late hour. This would have drawn a lot of attention during the day.

Armsmaster stopped at the door. "I'll have the area under close watch for the night, but the extra help I've requested will arrive in the morning." He paused a moment, then looked at me. "As it stands, given where we are in the school year, we'll be starting you at Arcadia in the fall. But, let me stress, you aren't returning to Winslow. With current circumstances, we'll want to minimise exposure as much as possible until we've dealt with this Coil properly. I think I can manage suitable arrangements so that you don't fall behind as well. For tonight, though, don't worry about that, just get some rest."

I nodded. "Thank you, sir."

The lower half of his face moved into what I thought was a smile. "All part of the service. Have a good night, Taylor. Dinah, Mr. Hebert." He nodded at my dad and moved away.

My dad watched him go for a moment, then turned to me. "Hungry?"

"Please," I said. "Do we have the stuff for lasagna?"

"Want garlic bread with it?" he asked, chuckling softly.

"I think Dinah will like both," I said, giving her back another gentle touch. She had stopped shaking, but I wasn't sure if she hadn't fallen asleep again or not.

"Tomatoes are good," she mumbled in a small voice that I almost didn't catch.

"We have some fresh tomatoes, right?"

"We do," my dad agreed.

"Good, we can use those for the sauce for the lasagna," I told him as we went inside. "Tomorrow, if it's approved, think we can go out to get a few things for Dinah? Clothes and the like?"

"I think we can manage that," my dad agreed. "Would you like that, Dinah?"

"I guess," she mumbled against my shirt. I nodded to my dad as he hadn't caught her words.

"After we've had the lasagna, Dinah, we'll see about dessert. I think we have some chocolate ice cream in the refrigerator." I told her, moving into the kitchen where I pulled out a chair and carefully sat her down. Her arms tightened at my neck for a moment but she let them drop to her sides.

"I'm going to work on chopping the tomatoes," I told her. "I'll be right over here, okay?"

"'kay," she said quietly, apparently looking at the floor, but I noticed the way her head moved to follow me around the room. Dad went to another counter and started working on the garlic bread while I pulled down a cutting board. I selected several tomatoes and began washing them, setting them aside. I looked at the knives, about to reach for one to use.

Wait.

"Hey, dad," I said, drawing his attention as I turned so that I wasn't blocking view of the cutting board from Dinah as well. "Want to see something with my powers?"

He looked up, a wary expression on his face. "Like?"

I felt a grin form as I reached to where my power was. I remembered how I had affected the air when Stormtiger faced me and thought of that, scaling down what I wanted to do tremendously. I put one of the tomatoes down on the cutting board.

"This," I said, drawing my finger down the length of it. The air I was adjusting obeyed my calculations and the tomato split exactly down the middle. I heard a noise from Dinah and glanced her way, but she appeared to be staring at the floor. My dad blinked at the tomato, no doubt noticing I had nothing to cut it with that he could see. My grin widened a touch more and my next movement cubed both halves of the tomato. I deposited them into a bowl with a flourish, the grin turning to a smile as my dad applauded.

I was about to retrieve another tomato when tiny hands pushed one onto the cutting board. Dinah had moved from her seat silently and was standing beside me. I looked at her, then at the tomato.

"Again?" I asked and she nodded slightly. I grinned and ruffled her hair, then went to work on the second tomato while Dinah stared, rapt. 

Maybe this would work out after all.


	15. Chapter 15

We got three Wards, not two, as it turned out. All from the New York branch. The third apparently turned out to be a volunteer and, from what little I understood as Colin hadn't been forthcoming on specifics, her home life wasn't the best. She was, he assured me, very competent and wouldn't cause any issues.

Dad wasn't happy. I don't think he was upset about Dinah, but he wasn't thrilled that we might be or were targets for a villain with a grudge. The other source of his displeasure was more mundane and that was related to keeping food and supplies handy. Colin mentioned that he would have that addressed as quickly as possible, but as it stood, we would need to go out for restocking soon.

As to the Wards. They were sitting in the living room now, squeezed into the couch. Flechette, Freighttrain and Spyglass. Colin mentioned that there might be a fourth coming in, who would swap out with Flechette, who was considering a transfer to Brockton Bay apparently. But I had no details yet on who that would be. None had unmasked and I didn't know that they would, which would be all sorts of odd, but it was their choice.

My wondering about that was interrupted as Freighttrain pushed off his mask, revealing hispanic features. He smiled at me and extended his hand.

"I'm Philippe," he said easily.

"Taylor," I replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"Seriously, Philippe?" Spyglass asked, looking annoyed. "You just push your mask off and tell her who you are without a care in the world?"

"It's cool. I can tell Taylor is good people," he said, his accent adding an exotic flair to his words. It seemed richer than the usual ones I heard and I wondered about it. Spyglass, whose costume was a pale yellow with what I thought was an old style looking glass emblazoned across it, made a disgusted sound, but pushed her one mask aside as she looked over at me.

"Shawna," she said tersely, offering her own hand. "Philippe is a bit too easy-going." Her own skin was a warm chocolate and she gave me a half-hearted smile that lit up her face even so. "Just goes and trusts people without thinking things through."

I considered this even as Philippe made an offended sound, clutching at his chest in mock affront "Shawna, sestrica, why so mean?"

"Dork," she said, shoving at his arm. "I told you to stop calling me little sister. I'm older than you!"

Flechette radiated exasperation in a way that suggested this was familiar to her before she pushed her own disguise aside. "You can call me Lily." Beside the couch was a fairly large crossbow that she had propped up. It looked fancy. Some sort of tinker device? I shook her hand as well. She had oriental features that were actually quite pretty.

She looked past me to where my father stood. "I want to thank you for letting us stay here while we keep a watch out, Mr. Hebert."

"Call me Danny," he said and I felt something relax as I realised he had let his irritation go for the moment. "It was a bit more than I was expecting, but we'll manage."

She nodded. "I know it was short notice and I'm sorry for that, but again, I do thank you."

My dad waved a hand absently, giving her a smile. "There's two extra bedrooms. I was going to settle Dinah in one, but we ended up with other arrangements for that. You can divide them between yourselves however you want."

"Thank you, Mr. Hebert," Lily said. My dad opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head and gave her a weary smile.

Lily turned to the other two. "Come on, you two. Let's get our stuff stashed and stop cluttering their living room. We'll talk watch schedule in a bit."

Dad nodded and then frowned. "We were going to make a trip out to the store soon. How would be best to arrange that?" The way he shifted suggested his irritation had returned. I could understand, from what I had learned from Armsmaster, there was to be a lot of close watch in the event that Coil tried anything. Curbed activities and the like. It wasn't ideal, but the other possibilities had been relocating to a safehouse or within the PRT HQ. Neither was appealing, either to dad, or to me, so here we were.

Dinah still hadn't said a lot, but I thought the haunted look had lessened a little. We'd had to move a small single in to my room and she slept on it, though I had woken late to find she'd squeezed in beside me sometime in the night. My bed was barely large enough for us both, but if it helped her, I wouldn't begrudge her. And it was kind of nice. Like having a little sister who had been scared come to you. Of course, Dinah's fears were a bit worse than the monster under the bed ...

"...Taylor?" my dad asked and I blinked, glancing at him and realising I'd been spacing out.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, then flushed as I saw everyone was staring at me.

"We're thinking we'll make a quick trip out now," he said. "The car's not so big, though."

"One of us will go with you," Lily said, glancing at Philippe and Shawna, who both nodded. "The other two will stare here and get used to the area."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed.

"Shawna, Philippe," she said. "You two are here for this trip. I'll go with them. Shouldn't be long. Just in and out."

* * *

A quick trip proved to be anything but. Another feud had broken out between the ABB and the Empire Eighty-Eight somewhere close by and there were PRT squadrons working to clear everyone out of the mall as quickly as possible in case things got even further out of hand. I heard some whispering that Lung was actually out in addition to Oni Lee and that crazy tinker, Bakuda or something.

Lily was keeping an eye out while Dinah stood near me, once again holding onto my hand. My dad all but radiated anger, however. It wasn't anything to do with what was happening nearby, though. No, this was for something much closer.

Emma and her father had ended up in front of us somehow. The universe must hate. Mr. Barnes had tried to draw Dad into conversation, but only received a glare and he eventually gave up, but Emma glanced at me several times, with a smirk appearing often. I was trying to ignore her, but I suspected she would try some sort of barb at some point. I watched the flow of people, noting the presence of some Wards members that were assisting the PRT squad.

"So, Taylor, how have you been?" Emma spoke at last, her voice pitched to be pleasant sounding as possible even as the look in her eyes told me what she really thought. "We've missed you at school, you know."

"I'm sure," I said absently, debating whether to just mute her and be rude by ignoring her completely. I decided against it. She wasn't worth wasting my power on anymore. "I had more important things to do than deal with infantile pranks." Something ugly crossed her eyes at my barb.

"Mr. Hebert," she said sweetly, "had you-"

"You should shut your mouth," he said and Emma blinked, taken aback.

"Now what's this about?" Mr. Barnes interjected, frowning. "Danny, I know you're upset over something, but that's no call to-"

"Your daughter hasn't told you what she's been doing, has she?" Dad cut him off, then shook his head. "No, of course not. But Taylor's told me." He leveled a glare at Emma and it must have been bad enough that she took a step back. "But I've heard. All of it."

Mr. Barnes' frown grew. "Look, I don't know what sort of fabrications your daughter-"

"Are you calling Taylor a liar?" Danny asked, his voice low.

"Not at all," he said smoothly. "But if there's some sort of issue stressing her out at school, that's no reason for her to imply Emma is involved."

"The hospital," Danny growled, looking at Mr. Barnes now. "The issue where she was locked in that locker with all that filth, and the stay afterwards. Ask your daughter who was responsible for Taylor being in there. I'm sure she had a close and personal view of it. Isn't that right, Emma?"

"Now see here," Mr. Barnes said, reddening. "I'm sorry that happened to Taylor, but that sort of talk is way out of line, Danny. I won't have you slandering my daughter."

I took a deep breath. "Your daughter and her friends have been tormenting me since I came back from summer camp, Mr. Barnes. Her, Madison and Sophia."

Something flickered in Mr. Barnes' eyes at Sophia's name and he glanced to Emma before shaking his head. "I'm sorry if you've grown apart, but throwing any more of these accusations around and I will bring suit for slander against you. I've half a mind to do so anyway." He made a disgusted sound. "To imply that Emma would take part in anything like that ..."

"I'm sorry things haven't worked out for you, Taylor," Emma said, looking at me challengingly. "Maybe I'll see you at school next week."

I started to reply then felt Dinah's hand tighten on mine. I glanced at her. She was looking up at Emma and it was definitely an unfriendly look. "Ninety eight point three percent chance that you are going to fall on your butt within the next five minutes."

Emma blinked and then gave me a look. "And who is this?"

"Ninety nine percent chance that you will slap yourself," she said in rapid-fire response.

"How cute, she's protecting you," Emma said, a sneer forming, though she was unnerved somewhat by this. My dad and Emma's were arguing, their words now low hisses. I saw one of the Wards watching nearby, a figure in black with a mask shaped like a woman's face.

"Eighty-five percent chance that you-" Dinah said mechanically, falling silent as I crouched down beside her, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"Dinah, it's okay," I said, and her head turned to me. "She isn't worth bothering over. Just ignore her, all right? She's irrelevant, a no-" I cut off as I saw Emma move out of the corner of my eye. Something I had said must have infuriated her as she moved to shove me. My field caught her effort and she rebounded, tumbling to the floor in a tangle of limbs. Mr. Barnes and my Dad both turned at her startled cry and I gave my Dad an apologetic look and a shrug.

The Ward who had been observing approached now. Shadow Stalker, I think her name was. She moved to grip my arm, not attacking, so my field didn't reflect it, but it was a near thing.

"This is not the time and place for your arguments," she said. "Turn around."

I blinked and almost snorted, incredulous. "Why?"

"This entire situation is tense and you tripped her," she looked to my dad. "If your daughter's normally violent like this, maybe you should think twice about bringing her out in public."

"Now you see here," my Dad began but I just shook my head at him.

Shadow Stalker reached for my other arm, intending to pull it back behind me, the one she was holding she tried to wrench when I locked it in place. I grimaced and debated whether to allow it. I suppose it could have looked like Emma had been tripped by me, but that didn't mean I had to allow this. I glanced over at Emma, who was beaming now, despite being on the ground still.

No.

"Take your hands off me," I said quietly. "She tried to push me and fell on her own. I didn't do anything to her."

"Didn't look like it to me," she countered. I was aware there were eyes on us, a lot of them. Lily had been silent, assessing. I didn't know if she had been told I was a parahuman or not but she was still keeping an eye out while apparently weighing the situation. Shadow Stalker made another attempt to wrench my arms behind my back and I felt something snap. She was just another bully and I didn't have to take this.

An adjustment and she staggered back, pushed away by my field. Her grip released on my arms and I rubbed my wrists. She had become increasingly harsh with her hold when I wasn't allowing her to move my arms. There was wariness in her stance as she regarded me now and a tension that hadn't been there before. Her hand dropped to her side.

Lily had apparently made a decision and she moved into the space between us, facing Shadow Stalker. "You need to look elsewhere. Emma there tried to shove my friend and you're making this more stressful than it needs to be."

"I was watching when I saw the arguing, I know what I saw," Shadow Stalker countered. "You need to step aside."

"No," Lily said. "I don't know how Wards operate here, but in New York they don't just single out one person without determining exactly what's happening."

I felt a smile at Lily's intercession. She wasn't happy at all and tension fairly radiated from her body. I touched her shoulder. "Thank you, Lily. We're done, though. We should get back. Dinah's probably a bit worn out from all the walking."

She looked torn, then nodded. "You're right. We've wasted enough time here." She gave Shadow Stalker a look, then turned her back on her. I saw her hand slip into her pocket and saw a glimpse of something dark concealed in her hand for an instant.

"Let's go, Dad," I said, taking Dinah's hand. She had stayed close to me even when Shadow Stalker had tried to cuff me or whatever she had intended.

Shadow Stalker looked like she wanted to continue, but finally said nothing. As I turned to the left from the exit, I saw Shadow Stalker still standing there, speaking to Emma and Mr. Barnes. Dinah gave my hand a squeeze, drawing my attention, and I looked at her. She gave me a half-smile, the most animated I had seen her since her breakdown the day before.

"Are you okay?" I asked and she nodded once shyly. "Good. We'll go through for some ice cream on the way home, if that's fine, Dad?"

"I think we can spare a moment," he said. "There's a place nearby with a drive through that has some good cones. Do you have a preference, Lily?"

"Mint chocolate," she said absently, then glanced at me and then to Dinah, a grin appearing for a moment. "I don't know all of the context, but she was kind of a bitch."

I grimaced. "She was my best friend, once. I still don't know why she changed. I don't think I care anymore either, to be honest."

"And you," Lily smiled at Dinah. "I liked how you told her off. It was pretty funny."

Dinah offered her a smile as well, then ducked her head. I ruffled the younger girl's hair with my free hand as we approached the car to head back to the house.

* * *

Thomas Calvert stared at a video feed on his handset in one timeline. He'd instructed his soldiers to move on the mall, intending to make a statement. The reality was it hoped to be a distraction while his men engaged Taylor Hebert. No bullets this time, however. Tinker weapons were employed, that he had gone to great expense to obtain.

In both timelines, he was on-site, functioning as a consultant and supplementing PRT forces. There was apparently some sort of argument going on and one of Brockton Bay's Wards near the target when his soldiers made their move. Just as before, the situation went to hell quickly. The first assault sent the Ward, Shadow Stalker down in a twitching heap. The backwash of the energy weapon appeared to stagger Taylor and he felt a surge of elation. She wasn't invincible, then.

Her recovery was quick, however and none of the subsequent attacks had any effect, slammed back at the soldiers with vicious force. Those not taken out in the counter went down quickly.

He collapsed the timeline, focusing his attention on assisting with the clean up from the continuing conflict between the E88 and the ABB. There were weaknesses. He merely had to determine what they were before he committed himself again. Feeling pleased, he let a smile form. He would find out what they were, and then he would act. He had gambled, before, been over-eager. That was not a mistake he could afford again. He had opportunities aplenty though and this Taylor Hebert would not stand in the way of his plans for long. Fate was on his side, after all.


	16. Chapter 16

The living room was a cluttered mess. My dad had pulled out an old game from when he was in college, a role-playing game, to be specific and we had created characters and were sitting the coffee table playing. She still hadn't said much, but even Dinah had produced a character with my Dad's help. It was beginning to wind down, though and my Dad had a bit of a smirk on his face.

"I want to cast a spell," he said. Philippe glanced at him, frowned and then apparently figured out whatever my Dad was talking about.

"You can cast any of the first level ones," he replied, grinning

"I want to cast magic missile," my dad went on.

Lily, Shawna, and I exchanged looks and then Lily spoke hesitantly, clearly confused. "Why are you casting magic missile? There's nothing to attack here ..."

Philippe and my Dad broke up laughing, clearly amused by something the rest of us didn't understand.

Between gasps, Philippe choked out. "He's ... attacking... the darkness!"

We exchanged another look and I rolled my eyes. "Dad, you're weird."

"Same goes for you, Philippe," Shawna said, shaking her head at the boy. "Nerd."

"Sorry, sorry," my dad said, wiping at his eyes. "Anyway, it's late and I'm going to get to bed. Work in the morning and all that." He rose after straightening the papers in front of him. "Don't stay up too late, you lot." There were some murmured replies and then it was just the three Wards, Dinah, and myself.

"Two and a half hour shifts?" Lily asked the other two. "Philippe, you're up first, I'll take second, and Shawna gets last?"

"Works for me," Philippe said, stretching his arms over his head. "Go get some sleep, Shawna."

"Dibs on the bathroom," Lily said, her words coming out just ahead of Shawna, who scowled.

"Not cool," she muttered. "Ms. Perfect timing strikes again." Lily flashed her a grin and darted up the stairs, her bag in tow.

I gave Shawna a smile. "You can use my bathroom if you want, while she's in the hall."

"Oh, thanks," Shawna returned the smile and then went upstairs as well. Philippe had moved to glance outside through the windows, apparently taking his duties very seriously, even with how easy-going he seemed to be. 

"Thank you," I said, a bit hesitantly. Philippe glanced my way with a questioning look and I went on. "For coming out here to help keep an eye on her."

"S'part of the job," he said, shrugging with an embarrassed grin. "And anyway, protecting people against things is why I signed up. This Coil creep is hijo de mil putas." I blinked and tried to parse the statement through my limited knowledge of spanish. Philippe gave me a smile and shrugged.

"Sorry," he went on. "That isn't something I should say in polite company. Doesn't make it less true, though."

"It's fine," I told him. "I only understood part of it anyway, aside from obviously being an insult." Beside me, Dinah yawned and I glanced to her. "It is late, though, so I think we'll head to bed."

"Have a good night," Philippe said with a nod. Dinah and I went upstairs. Lily was exiting the hall bath when we reached the top, idly flipping a slender, pointed piece of metal. Both ends were pointed, actually and as she drew closer, my field touched it.

What the hell

No, seriously, what the hell was she doing to it?

Lily caught me staring and blinked. "What is it? Something on my face?"

"What do you do to that?" I asked, looking at the needle or whatever it was. "It just ... I think I see how, but... just what does your power do?"

"You can see it?"

"Sort of," I shrugged. "I can make sense of some of it with mine, but the rest ... " I trailed off and glanced at her. "You figured it out?"

"It was implied in the briefing, though not specifics," Lily told me. "Kind of hard to miss when Emma went down without ever touching you. Telekinesis?"

I shrugged. "More like changing directions. There's a passive effect and she ran into it." Beside me, Dinah yawned again, squeezed my hand, then tugged free before slipping through the door into my room to get ready for bed.

"That other one was kind of a shrew too," Lily observed. "Shadow Walker?"

"Stalker, I think," I said. "I don't know what was up with that though. Hopefully it won't be a problem."

Lily nodded. "Sorry about not stepping in immediately. I wanted to keep an eye on things and there were a lot of people around."

"No apology needed," I replied. "I could have just tuned her out but she isn't worth it, really."

Stretching her arms above her head, Lily nodded again before yawning. "Oops, sorry. Anyway, I'll seen you in the morning."

"Good night, Lily," I said and slipped into my room. Shawna emerged from the bath and murmured her thanks before ducking out and closing the door behind her.

Dinah had climbed into her bed and was staring with eyes that seemed a tad too wide in the light of the lamp. "Everything okay?"

She nodded and then her expression shifted. A moment, and she opened her mouth. "Thank you. For saving me."

"You're welcome, Dinah," I said, giving her a smile. "Are you starting to feel better?"

"A bit," she answered. "Everything still feels funny though. It hurt so much when I was running, but I could see which way was best to go. The n-numbers were getting worse though... and then it was one hundred percent. I found you but mommy ... daddy ..." Her face crumpled and she buried it in her hands, sobbing. I moved immediately, so fast I didn't even process how I had, putting my arms around her. Dinah leaned into the embrace while I made soothing noises. 

I wanted to tell her that it would be all right, but I knew better. It hurts less, but it never really gets better. I knew that from experience. It still hurt to think about mom. It was less raw now, but it still hurt. I didn't think it would hurt her less for quite a while.

"Dinah," I said, rubbing her back. She turned tear-streaked eyes to me and swallowed. "I promise you, that man will never lay a hand on you. Whatever I have to do, he'll never touch you, trust me."

She looked haunted still, but I thought it lessened as I said those words and she nodded, then sniffed.

"Now come on," I smiled. "Let's get you cleaned up and then we'll go to bed, okay?"

"'kay," she murmured, yawning before pushing the sheets aside and scrambling from her bed so we could do just that.

* * *

He watched the video feeds as the soldiers swarmed into position, weapons trained on the group. The first shot went intentionally wide, splashing into the ground near her, but producing no visible effects. The second was aimed directly at Taylor Hebert. Like in his previous attempt, it rebounded and the situation promptly went to hell for his forces.

Thomas Calvert collapsed the timeline, staring at his desk where he was busy with paperwork. It appeared to be some sort of adaptive defense. If she were exposed to it, even a slight amount, it could affect her, but only once?

He mused on that. Further study would be required.


	17. Chapter 17

"Ow."

That was all I had to say as I stared at the old box sitting in the middle of the basement floor. It was perforated with those metal needles that Lily had and just watching what they did with my field made my head hurt when I tried to grasp it. The math went off in directions I hadn't even considered and more than once I found myself spacing out trying to parse all of the calculations.

So far I had concluded that whatever she was doing when she was well outside anything I had a reference for and even when I made adjustments to the passive field, they didn't counter it. I wasn't even sure if I could adjust my field to counter for it. Not without a lot more practice. Years, potentially.

Lily had looked askance when I asked her to lob objects around me but after some cajoling, I was able to convince her. The look on her face as I rattled off an explanation for why we would both be fine had left her gaping. I don't think she had been able to follow my math.

The realisation that there were things my field couldn't account for was a bit disturbing, honestly. If her ability could, did that mean other things might as well?

Something to look into, I decided.

Lily glanced at me, bemused. "Ow?"

"Your... attack... just ow," I said, shaking my head. "Trying to calculate all the elements involved it is enough to make me want some aspirin."

"You really can tell what it does?" she blinked.

"Sort of," I answered, making a vague gesture. "You throw it and some part of it seems to go ... elsewhere. It's really weird and I lost track of the calculations a few times trying to make sense of what my power was telling me." I shook my head. "Mind if we do this again sometime?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't mind. It's actually fascinating. I figured out some pretty extensive uses for it, but I can't pretend that I know what it does to my darts or bolts. It's kind of refreshing to find someone else who is intent on figuring specifics out."

"Some of it is self-interest," I said with a rueful grin. "Your ability, whatever it is? My field can't counter it. Nothing I've run into so far has been able to get around it and even if I can't work out how yours does, I might be able to adapt it for other things."

She nodded as we went up the stairs, then flashed me a grin. "I'm not planning to start attacking you, so you at least don't have to worry about that."

"No," I agreed as we crossed into the house proper, "but who knows what I can account for just by studying your ability." In fact, I was still trying to make sense of it in the back of my head as we walked, simulating its effects and whether or not things I did would counter it.

It was just the four of us and Dinah right now, though I think there were probably PRT agents making discreet passes by the house on a schedule of some sort, but Dad was off at work and it left just us here.

Philippe looked up from his handheld gaming system, something from Nintendo, I think and waggled his eyebrows. "You two finally come out of the basement, huh? What were you doing in there anyway- hey!" He yelped as Shawna tossed a pillow at him.

"Don't be crude," she said primly, then looked sideways at us slyly. "I'd know if they were up to anything like that. I've got a watch on the area."

"Now who's being crude?" Philippe asked, rolling his eyes even as Lily shook her head and I felt my face warm at what they were implying. The three of them worked together in the New York Wards and their easy camaraderie showed in how they teased one another. It was infectious and made me wish I'd had friends like these through the time in high school. Maybe if I had, things would have been better.

"It isn't like that," I protested, then, after a drawn out moment of silence, hesitantly, I gave them all a sly look. "But I do have a thing for brunettes ..."

A pause and the three Wards chuckled. I did as well, after a moment. Then, feeling a bit bolder, I offered an idea.

"Okay, okay," I said, then looked at Lily. "Think if we all go that we'll be safe? There's a little restaurant not far from here we could go check out. They have some amazing burgers, I'm told."

Lily looked thoughtful. "Well, if it were all of us together ... " She trailed off. "Let me make a call and I'll see. I think the boss will agree as long as we're careful." She headed into the other room, pulling a phone from her pocket as she did so to check if we could go to Fugly Bob's.


	18. Chapter 18

2.5b

Fugly Bob's was a popular place for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which was that it was rumored to be a popular spot for various capes to hang out at out of costume. People would go solely to try and guess if their neighbor was one or not. They also made the most amazing burgers. We had arrived, thankfully, during a lull in the crowd though, so there wasn't a huge amount of people present. Philippe, Lily, and Shawna were surrounding me and Dinah without being too obvious that they were serving as guards. Conversation was flying back and forth so we seemed like nothing more than a group of friends who had a kid sister tag along.

I was honestly surprised at how at ease they seemed. I'd noticed that their camaraderie seemed pretty solid and for all that they were right around my age, they seemed quite at ease with their chosen task.

I wondered what things were like in the New York Wards program if these three were examples of what they produced. My impressions of the Brockton Bay Wards hadn't been good when I'd researched them, and the way Shadow Stalker had behaved made me even less impressed with them.

Lily, Philippe, and Shawna, though, were practiced at keeping an eye on the area while seeming like nothing more than some friends chatting amicably. I was impressed at the ease they interacted while scanning the area.

We were shown to a comfortable booth toward the back and we slid in, Lily to my left, Shawna and Philippe to Dinah's right, placing her between the four of us.

"We're covered on food," Philippe said absently. "Boss ferried over a card this morning along with a warning not to use it for anything not essential." He attempted what was supposed to be a scowl and deepened his tone as he spoke, presumably imitating Armsmaster.

"Meaning," Shawna glanced at him and grinned, "he told you not to be buying any stupid magazines."

"I would never," he pronounced piously, "buy any stupid magazines. I'm following the developments of automobile production."

"You like looking at the women lounging over the cars half naked," she snorted and as he made an offended sound, turned to look at me. The noise level and relative isolation of our both lent a decent amount of privacy to us. "So, if it isn't out of place for me to ask, what can you do, exactly?"

Was she asking ... ? I blinked. "Do?"

She looked exasperated and then lowered her voice. "You know, your powers? That was what you were doing downstairs in the basement right?"

"What?" Philippe said, sounding mock-annoyed. "You mean they weren't making out? All my illusions. Crushed."

I flushed and noticed Lily just roll her eyes at Philippe's statements. "It wasn't- I mean, I'm not... I don't... but that's okay if-"

"Taylor," Lily interrupted with a smile. "Ignore Philippe. His brain to mouth filter overflows sometimes, even if he means well." She looked to Shawna. "Yes, we were testing something with her powers. It involved me throwing things at her."

A low whistle emerged from Shawna and Philippe looked impressed. "You let her throw things at you? That's hardcore. Seriously. I've seen what her hits can do when she's on the practice range and she really cuts loose."

"There wasn't any danger," I protested. "You see, the application of coeffici-" I stopped as Lily touched my arm.

"It's fine, they're teasing," she said and then leveled a mock-glare at Philippe. "You do not want to sit through her trying to explain it in mathematical terms. I got lost after the first number." I flushed a bit as I remembered the rapid fire list of calculations I had thrown at her when we started testing how her power interacted with mine and she had asked a question.

The waitress came over and we placed our orders. Drinks followed shortly after and after a promise to give Shawna and Philippe a demonstration, we settled into small talk while waiting for our food.

"So, if I can ask," Philippe began, leaning forward a bit after we had gone through much of the meal, "how did you get your powers?"

Cramped. Can't move. Can't breathe. Need to get out. Need control. Need to get away!

I shook the thoughts from my head and blinked, noticing the others staring at me. "What? Ketchup on my face?"

"No," Lily said carefully. "But you spaced out. Is everything okay?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, it's old news now. I don't think it's something I should describe while we're eating, though."

"Good going, nerd," Shawna said, slapping the back of his head. "Think about how you got yours. Why would you ask someone that. Geez."

"Ow, ow!" he cried as she smacked him several more times. When she subsided, he looked at me. "Look, I'm sorry. Let's try a different topic. What do you do, exactly?"

"It's redirection, basically," I said, grateful for the change of subject. "Passive and active. That's really the most simplified way of describing it. Really, it's absolute control of vectors."

"Vectors?" Shawna blinked and I nodded, warming to the subject. I had tried explaining it to my dad but he'd just gained a spaced out look. These guys had powers, maybe they could follow.

"It's," I began, paused and plunged ahead even as Lily gained a long-suffering expression. She had heard some of this already. "Well ... I can enhance, redirect, or increase the momentum of any object in motion. Since the earth is turning and rotating around the sun, everything is moving. The effect can be initiated by physical contact, but also effect things that are touching what I'm touching, based on factors including distance and quantity of dissimilar materiel between the transfer. I control these effects with mathematical formula which calculate how to manipulate the materials as well as analyse ways to improve further calculations for greater effect. The ability to respond to personal physical harm is automatic and rebounds to the aggressor unless I specify otherwise."

I took a breath as I had pushed all of that out in one breath and found Shawna and Philippe staring at me.

Philippe spoke first. "So ... you move things?"

I sighed and nodded, lifting my burger. "Yes. I move things." I took a bite of my burger, shaking my head as I chewed.

"I can't say I understood any of that," Shawna admitted. "But it sounds cool."

I swallowed, cleared my throat before replying. "I haven't found- no, that's not true. I've found one thing that I can't affect. I guess you could say I administrate vectors. Or something."

"Moving stuff sounds good," Philippe quipped. "It'll confuse anyone from getting a real understanding of what you can do."

"Or," Lily said, grinning at me and nudging me with her elbow, "you can just rattle off math at them like you did me and watch as they fall asleep trying to understand what you're saying."

"It wasn't that bad," I protested, exasperated, but I smiled nonetheless. The rest of the conversation turned away from discussion of powers to more mundane topics. Shawna and Lily managed to make Philippe look like he wanted to be anywhere but here by drawing me into a conversation about who we found attractive. Lily spaced out after a bit and I think she was eyeing someone in the restaurant, but I couldn't see who. After that, we paid the bill and were heading out toward the door as another group entered. A young girl, maybe around Dinah's age, several boys, and three other girls. Two of them were familiar. Members of New Wave, I think. One was hanging off the arm of one of the boys, the other looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

And then I saw the third girl.

Sophia.

Her eyes met mine and I saw scorn there. It looked like she wanted to say or do something, but one of the others in her group said something. She looked away from me and grudgingly followed them, ours groups moving past one another.

Lily was looking at me when I released a breath I hadn't realised I was holding. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah," I said, and I was surprised to note that it was true. I hadn't felt anything at seeing her. "I'm good."

And we headed out of Fugly Bob's to go home.

* * *

He watched the monitor. The soldier was taking aim from a position some distance away. Another squad was ready to move as soon as the attack was reported as successful.

On the screen of someone covertly filming them, he saw one of the girls with Hebert stiffen and say something, her expression tense.

The shot was fired. It went wildly off-course even as the group was moving. No good for long range shots, then. The hispanic boy grabbed Coil's future pet and started running. He was out of sight quickly. Some sort of Mover? Was the black girl a Thinker or some sort of clairvoyant or precognitive as well? Taylor Hebert moved as well, touching a street light with what appeared to be nothing more than a brush of her fingers. The post uprooted and tore through the air and the camera feed from his sniper went blank.

Coil collapsed the timeline, grimacing. Long range was useless then. Even if they hadn't been moving, the shot was wildly off-target. Still. The girl had demonstrated some form of tactile telekinesis and her aim appeared deadly accurate. And two of her companions appeared to have abilities as well. The third likely did also, but he hadn't gleaned any information on her with this attempt. Next time, though.


	19. Chapter 19

Fifty two point seven percent chance she would be attacked while she slept.

Dinah flinched imperceptibly at the numbers. Another question was asked. Chance that attack will be successful if Taylor is alive?

Zero point zero zero three percent.

Every option she ran was like that. That man. He was out there. Somewhere. And he wanted her. For the numbers she saw. That she knew was a certainty. And every number she saw led to the same result without the girl sleeping in the bed nearby. Taylor was the deciding factor. If she was not present, he took her. The other Wards had an effect on the numbers, but none of those tilted things as heavily as Taylor did.

Chance that I will be attacked while I sleep?

Zero percent. 

A frown appeared. Something had changed the numbers in the last few minutes. But what? She laid there trying to figure that out.

It was a long time before she fell asleep.

* * *

Morning. She woke to the smell of pancakes, bacon and sausage. For a moment, she remembered other days, and knew if she ran downstairs, Mommy and Daddy would be there.

Then she opened her eyes and the ceiling was not the one in her room and the question slipped out before she could stop herself. Chance I'll see my parents today?

Zero percent.

She hated Coil more than anything she had felt before. That stupid boy who put gum in her hair in third grade hadn't made her hate him this much. Neither had Angela in fifth grade when she said those horrible things about her uncle.

She got up to go eat breakfast. Taylor was working in the kitchen, humming to herself while she cooked. The girl who had saved her was scooping out scrambled eggs onto plates. The other three who were here because of her uncle and Armsmaster came downstairs a short while later. They were nice, they tried to talk to her and didn't treat her like she didn't know anything.

One of the people at the PRT building had done that when they were there. She hadn't liked him.

That man.

Chance that Taylor can kill Coil without dying herself?

Seventy-six point eight.

She scowled for a moment. That number was not enough. She picked at her eggs and then another question slipped out before she could stop herself from asking.

Chance that Taylor can kill Coil, even if she dies?

One hundred percent.

Her breakfast went mostly untouched.

* * *

It was raining. They had taken her and gotten a dress. It was black and actually rather nice.

She hated it.

Taylor was with her. And the others. Her uncle. Her cousin. People she didn't know. They came up to her, offered words, sympathy.

She hated them a little. It all felt fake, when they spoke. The man she had seen briefly after she met Taylor, Mr. Calvert, was there too. The look in his eyes when he came up and spoke to them made her want to throw up.

That man.

Chance that she'll be attacked in the next hour?

Twenty-eight point four percent.

Chance that Taylor will prevent it?

Sixteen percent.

Her hand tightened on Taylor's at that number and she thought furiously while she stared at the two flower-covered rectangles. Why had they put flowers on them? The rain was ruining them, it was coming down so hard.

Chance that Taylor will be killed by a man with a gun up close in the next hour?

Fifty-seven percent.

She began looking around, anywhere but at the scene before her, of those rectangles.

Chance that Taylor will be killed if I shove her when the man tries to shoot her?

Zero percent.

She nodded slightly and her eyes returned to the rectangles covered with flowers that were being hammered by the rain.

She wished that there wasn't an umbrella over her head.

The man from the church kept talking, saying a lot of things about her parents. He didn't know them. She didn't pay any mind while she ducked her head. People started to move away and the rectangles began to lower. Taylor stayed there with her. The other three were nearby, but it was just Taylor right here, beside her. In front of her parents.

Chance that I'll be attacked in the next thirty minutes?

Zero percent.

A frown appeared. Just like before. What had changed?

* * *

Her cousin used to make her laugh. He had come by to visit at Taylor's home, to see how she was doing. She tried to smile, to pretend it was like before.

She kind of hated him. He had his parents still. Then she hated herself for hating him.

She hated that man most of all.

Rory stayed for a bit longer, then ruffled her hair and hugged her before leaving.

Chance that her cousin could kill Coil?

Two point three percent chance.

Chance that Taylor could kill Coil without dying herself if she learned more about her powers?

One hundred percent.

Dinah couldn't help herself. She smiled as she stared at the window, watching her cousin drive away.

It was not a nice smile.

She went upstairs to bed.

* * *

Dinah looked at the papers. It told her what the different types of abilities there were.

Chance that Taylor's able to kill Coil and survive if she fights people with Breaker abilities beforehand?

Sixty-two percent.

She started down the list, asking her questions.

That man would die like her parents had if she could do anything about it.


	20. Chapter 20

Sunrise. I watched it from my window, enjoying the silence and the view.

Dinah was asleep in her bed, for once she had slept without interruption through the night. I hoped that meant she was doing better. The funeral had worn on her a great deal and since then, she had displayed an almost disturbing amount of focus on something. Studying powers, from what I saw. I would catch her asking herself questions a lot, her lips moving silently. Every moment she could spare was fixed on whatever this was.

Colin had set up a system for us to be able to study and not fall behind for the school year. He'd mentioned it was designed by a friend, but nothing more than that. There was a bit of a smile on his face when he mentioned his friend and I wondered if meant he or she was more than. I hoped so. Colin had been so helpful and of late, he seemed increasingly stressed with the continuing war between the Empire Eighty-Eight and the ABB. Lung had come out several times and clashed with Kaiser, it appeared. The tinker with the ABB had started a campaign of terror and the situation overall was tense.

It hadn't touched on us directly, but even Philippe, Lily and Shawna had looked at the reports on the television with pale faces. Things in Brockton Bay were deteriorating and we sat here, relatively safe. The three of them wanted to go out, to help. I could see it.

I wanted to tell them to go. They were heroes. That was what they did. I had mentioned it to Colin but he only gave me a smile and shook his head. Told me that they would help the most by staying here, doing what they came here for. There were others that could or would be called in if necessary. He looked frazzled as he said it though. Worn.

It made me want to do something. But I wasn't even sure what. I had stopped caring about most things since the locker, but the last week and a half, I'd found my apathy lessening. Worry over Dinah, enjoying hanging out with the three Wards. It was nice having them here. Like having friends. I thought of the last time I had truly called someone friend, though, and scowled.

This wouldn't be like that. They weren't like that. The locker wouldn't, couldn't happen again. No one could make me go into something I didn't want to.

I went downstairs, thinking I would make breakfast before everyone got up.

Lily was already in the kitchen, humming to herself as she flipped pancakes. She didn't even look, busy with something in a pot that she was also stirring. All the same, her timing was perfect and the pancakes landed exactly in the skillet's center.

"Morning," she said as she noticed me.

"Morning," I replied, looking into the refrigerator and grabbing the milk to pour myself some. "You didn't have to cook, you know. I'd have taken care of it."

She shrugged. "I see no reason why you or your dad should make food all the time while we laze about in the mornings. It'll do those two good to not just sleep in all the time. I was thinking of having us cycle between it, whoever has the last watch cooks that morning. That way everyone gets a chance."

I thought about it and then put the milk away. "If you're set on it, I guess that's all right."

"Any plans today?" Lily asked, whisking some eggs together in a bowl.

"Mm," I said, sitting down. "Studying, obviously. The amount of work Colin's got me doing for my studies is pretty intense. Some of the things in there, I know my school hadn't even touched on. Beyond that, I don't know. He mentioned something the other day about being interested in my powers. I think he wanted to see about setting something up to learn more about that. But with all that's been happening ..."

Lily nodded, her expression sober. "It's pretty scary to watch."

I bit my lip, then pushed ahead. "Does it bother you, to be here while the local Wards are dealing with that?"

"A bit," Lily admitted. "But being here to keep Dinah and you safe is important too. You?"

"Sometimes," I admitted, staring at the table. "Not for myself, but the thought that I might be able to change things when I'm lying in bed and can't sleep." I sighed. "After the ... locker ..., I just stopped caring. Nothing could touch me unless I allowed it. But that was just a lie I was telling myself. Nothing physical, sure, and if I wanted, I didn't have to hear it either. But I can't not see things. There's no way to bend away something I don't want to see." My hands tightened on the glass of milk slightly.

Lily's hand settled on my shoulder. "Would you like to talk about it?"

I blinked at her. Wha-. Oh. It. I swallowed. I'd put that off since Fugly Bob's. But now, it was still early on a Sunday morning and it was just me and Lily here. I nodded.

"Let me finish this," Lily said, turning back to the stove for a moment. Not even two minutes later and she moved the skillets from heat, then settled into the chair opposite me. I stared at my milk for a while before drawing in a breath and starting to talk.

* * *

"I'd like to go to the park," Dinah announced. All four of us glanced at her, surprised. She still wasn't in the habit of talking much unless directly addressed.

"The park?" I asked. "Is there a particular one?"

"It's over here," she said, holding out a sheet of paper. It was a map that she had printed. I looked at the area she had marked, then passed it to Lily.

"It's a nice park," I said. "A bit close to some rougher parts of town, though."

The three of them glanced at one another, sharing a conversation with just a look and Lily nodded slowly. "Boss gave me some leeway in making judgement. That area hasn't seen any trouble, so it's been judged low-risk. An hour or two shouldn't hurt."

Dinah nodded. "Thank you."

Lily, Philippe and Shawna went upstairs for some things, leaving me with Dinah.

"Is everything okay?" I asked. "I mean, the park request came out of the blue. Is there something about this park in particular?"

She shook her head, looked hesitant for a moment, then nodded. "It's important. That's all I can say."

"Will there be trouble?" I asked, feeling a hint of trepidation. Had she seen something?

Dinah shook her head. "I can't say anything else. The numbers change. We need to go there, though. It's important." She bit her lip. "You can't say anything to the others. That changes the numbers too."

I stared at her, liking this less and less now that she was talking to me. "Dinah ..."

"It's important!" she said in a rush, grabbing my hand. "Please."

I stood for a moment, staring at her expression then I nodded. "Fine. I won't say anything."

Dinah looked relieved and scurried up the stairs for something.

Why did I have the feeling I'd just made a huge mistake?

* * *

Thomas Calvert watched as his men moved up. The two he had identified as parahumans were taken down quickly at range. The third girl was dropped with a sedative laced dart. Taylor herself went down to a close-range shot of the tinker weapon.

He collapsed the timeline with a snarl when he saw his pet fall unmoving from the bleed-off of energy. She could not be near Taylor when the time came to take her. Planning was sound, however. Taylor would die to the weapon. Other methods would need to be explored now, other weapons tested. He nodded to himself. Soon.


	21. Chapter 21

Pritchard Memorial Park was situated atop a hill that afforded it a spectacular view of the bay. The park had been built as part of a previous Mayor's urban development project. I had looked up the history of it once on a whim and it had been the beginning of Mayor Pritchard's initiative to reclaim some of the abandoned areas. The location used to be a burnt out husk, something left behind by a visit from the Slaughterhouse Nine in the past. It had sat there, ominous and brooding, for years before the Mayor had succeeded in convincing the city council. The area had been razed and become a park, but before the rest of the project could get underway, Mayor Pritchard had suffered a stroke and passed away. 

The park had been named in memory of him, but the full scope of his project had been passed over in his wake, leaving just this. All the same, it was kept well-maintained and covered a fair amount of ground. There were walking paths, and a playground, plus one section had covered areas for large gatherings. We were early enough that the Sunday crowds had not begun to fill the area, so much of the playground was ours. 

Philippe was currently perched at the top of a huge wooden castle that had multiple levels, trying to coerce Shawna into a game of tag and failing.

"Nerd," she yelled back at him. "We're not six. And anyway, most of the space there is too small for us to run through properly."

"Chicken!" he called back.

Shawna sighed, glancing at us. "Can I give him away? Please?"

"I think you're a bit over the age limit for being on there, Philippe," Lily called with a grin. 

"Swings?" I asked Dinah. She nodded and went over to one, I took the one beside her and we started swinging.

"I don't do this often enough," Lily said, wandering over and taking up a swing herself. "Why is just going and forth like this so much fun?"

"I used to want one in the backyard at home," I murmured, feeling the air on my face as kicking off my legs pushed me higher. "But dad said there wasn't enough space to really manage it.

Philippe made several more entreaties to draw us into a game of tag while busily climbing around the castle, but we declined as Shawna took up another swing and fell into an easy rhythm with us.

"Think we could stop for some take out chinese on the way back?" I asked after a while. "Or some ice cream?"

"Ice cream, yes," Lily replied. "Take out, no. We can see about some delivery though."

I nodded and brought my swing to a halt, idly kicking my legs at the dirt below me. "Chang's, if we do that. They have the best rangoon, ever."

Shawna made a face. "Ew. How do you eat that?"

"Usually by opening your mouth and sticking it in," I replied without thinking. Silence met me and I gave a push, setting myself into motion. I glanced toward Lily and Shawna, who were staring at me with odd expressions on their face. "What?" I thought about what I had just said. 

"Not remotely what I meant," I shook my head, flushing slightly. "Honestly. Gutter much?"

"You have to admit, it was kind of easy," Lily said with a grin.

"So's she," Shawna quipped, making a deliberately exaggerated face at me before cracking up.

"You're both terrible," I said, stopping the swing so I could stand. Lily started to say something else, but was interrupted as the most awful noise I had ever heard tore through the air, and a row of trees at the edge of the park were smashed aside, a large something carving a furrow into ground, tearing past us. It looked like sort of mechanical beetle and in the huge gap that now existed where there had been trees, I could see a figure floating. A cape fight?

Two more capes appeared on either side of the beetle-thing as it pulled itself up. They didn't try to prevent this, so I assumed they were with whoever was in that thing. I recognised them now. By picture at least.

Carapacitator, a tinker. Acoustic, the slender woman on his left, a sound manipulator. Chubster, the slightly overweight male on his right, used energy for attacking. Which meant that ...

The flying figure resolved into that of a female as she dove at them. A beam of light slammed into her, driving her to the ground like it had physical mass.

Incandescence. 

She floated in the air, balanced on a disk that appeared the same as what she had hit the other one. The blonde was picking herself up and I saw that it was Glory Girl. A boy and girl dropped into view beside her. Laserdream. Shielder.

New Wave. Or some of them, at least. And they were fighting the Quartet. The four of them were a small-scale criminal group that kept a low profile.

And we were right here in the middle of it. I glanced at Dinah and remembered my earlier thought. 

Coming to the park was a huge mistake.


	22. Chapter 22

Insanity.

That was the only word I had to describe what we were caught up in. Complete insanity. I couldn't even tell what exactly had sparked this from the sounds of fighting. Carapacitator was hunkered down, firing lightning bolts in the air to keep Glory Girl away. Laserdream and Shielder were both on the ground, dealing with a crossfire from Chubster and Incandescence. Acoustic was alternating between aiding Carapacitator and the other two.

The Quartet were a small time group of villains that roamed from city to city. They made a point of not hurting anyone and, from what I remembered, were only villains because they'd been labelled as such due to something Chubster did and ended up running with out of anger. Or something. I wasn't really clear on the specifics and with them engaged in a firefight with the younger members of New Wave, I didn't much care.

The park was a mess and only getting worse. Glory Girl apparently had a significant disregard for the sort of damage she was doing in trying to take down the members of the Quartet. The wooden castle that Phillipe had been goofing off on had already had several sections torn off and used as projectiles. They had been deflected by Incandescence's abilities, but so far the four were holding their own. It was a stand-off that was only going to be broken if one side got reinforcements. Shielder was one of the strongest forcefield users that I knew of, it was said. Nothing that the Quartet did was getting around the combination of his and Laserdream's powers, but whenever they tried to move to take a shot, they came under fire.

The four villains were doing an effective job of keeping them pinned down, I noticed. Glory Girl was the one exception but they seemed to have a ready counter to anything she tried to bring against them. Which was fine, but her inability to do anything of note appeared to be making her more reckless.

"Suggestions?" I asked to Lily from where we were stuck at. We'd overturned a table and Lily had done something to it that made my head hurt a bit to try and decipher. Philippe's power took a moment to really become effective and even with whatever Lily had done to the table to make it more durable, there had been several close hits near us.

One of them had been one of Incandescence's attacks and it had been close enough to touch the edges of my field that I was pushing out to help deflect any debris. That had been weird, but I had a good understanding of it now and had adjusted for it.

I'd long since tuned out Glory Girl's aura, or tried to. I was partially successful but I didn't entirely understand what it was doing so it wasn't a complete shut out, but enough that I wasn't trying to run away or cower. No, we were just stuck because of the rampant disregard for bystanders.

Sadly, most of it seemed to be from Glory Girl and her throwing things. The shot from Incandescence had been aimed at Glory Girl and she'd dodged, leaving it to plow the ground near us. Wasn't a hero supposed to defend bystanders?

"We could run for it," she said. "The car isn't far."

"The place where we parked is on the other side of that mess," Philippe said with a grimace. "We'd have to go around. And with Glory Girl up there, I wouldn't want to chance it. She seems kind of angry."

"I think Laserdream and Shielder are backing her up," Shawna said, her eyes distant in that way that said she was using her powers. "Wherever she threw the beetle guy from, it was outside my range and they didn't come in with her."

"One of them did something to piss her off, maybe?" Lily wondered.

"Who cares?" I hissed, watching as the subject of our discussion ripped another section of the castle and used it as a spear, only to have it smacked aside by one of Incandescence's light constructs. The piece of the playground soared over our heads, pushed up higher by my field and our eyes tracked it where it crashed to the ground beside a bird bath a short distance away.

How was that even still standing, I wondered?

Chubster said something I couldn't make out and it apparently made Glory Girl even angrier as she screamed, diving at him in fury. Her assault was knocked aside as Acoustic fired an attack at the siblings and Incandescence shaped a giant fist that threw Brandish's daughter off course. For what I thought might be the fifth or sixth time, Glory Girl ate dirt.

She rose in a fury, seizing one of the swings and wrenching one of the posts free. The rest of the swingset tilted to one side like some sort of wounded creature.

Laserdream and Shielder had brought up an assault that was occupying Incandescence's attention as Glory Girl started hammering at Carapacitator's suit with her makeshift cudgel.

"This is stupid," Philippe muttered, his accent showing through. "She's just attacking blindly."

I felt irritation rise as I looked around at the state of the park. In less than ten minutes, it had been changed from a very nice park, into a warzone.

My eyes fell on the bird bath. And I made a decision.

"Keep an eye out," I said quickly and I ducked out from cover.

"What?" Lily said, startled. "Taylor!" I ignored her, rushing to the bird bath and standing beside it.

I took a deep breath and yelled as loud as I could. "Hey! Enough!"

I got their attention. The beams of energy that had been thrown around stilled. Even Glory Girl stopped her attempting to pound the suit of armor into the ground.

Incandescence exhaled before speaking. "Enough? What exactly are you going to do if we don't stop?"

I hoped what I was about to say was absurd enough to throw them off. I could almost guarantee they wouldn't take it seriously. "I have a bird bath and I'm not afraid to use it."

Silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily cover her hand with her face. Philippe and Shawna looked like they were trying not to laugh. Dinah ...

Dinah was watching intently.

Incandescence laughed softly for a moment. "Creative, but why don't you run home?"

Glory Girl just looked annoyed. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but, yeah, go home before you get hurt, girl."

"Last chance!" I said. Acoustic manipulated sound. I'd gotten a feel for Incandescence's abilities already and Glory Girl, aura aside, wasn't anything I didn't already know how to counter. Carapacitator used electricity from his weapons. That left Laserdream and Shielder and I didn't expect them to do anything and if they did, I was gambling it was similar enough to what the Quartet's second in command did that I could counter it.

"Go away," Glory Girl said, making a shooing gesture. "You'll get hurt if you stay here!"

"Look at the mess you've made!" I retorted. "You've wrecked the park! And most of it has been you."

Irritation showed on her face and she turned away, raising her weapon to resume her attack.

Well. I had warned her. I tapped the birdbath and it shattered, the pieces scattering around before me in an arc. Acoustic and Incandescence went down, pinged by a few of the smaller pieces. The rest pelted Glory Girl and most of them did nothing, but one smacked the side of her head and she went down as well. That left Chubster and Carapacitator. I kicked a piece of rubble into the air and it hit Chubster in the stomach, bending him double as he gasped for air. A step, and the ground erupted beneath the beetle armor, turning it onto its back.

"She should be fine," I said to the siblings that were still standing as I doublechecked my calculations for the amount of force I'd used with the birdbath.

"Boss is on his way," Lily said, coming to stand beside me, looking over the scene. "You know, with New Wave here, it might spread that you're a parahuman. And she likely isn't going to be happy with you." Her gaze fell on Glory Girl.

I shrugged. "Won't be the first time someone popular and pretty has disliked me. I'll be fine."

"Taylor," Shawna asked slowly. "Did you just use a birdbath to take out a group of villains and a member of New Wave?"

"Not just a birdbath," I said. "And it was the only thing still mostly intact." I gave the park around us another once over and frowned. Trees were uprooted, huge patches of grass were scorched, gouges in the ground were everywhere. The playground was a wreck.

"Um," a voice called out and it appeared to be coming from the tinker suit. "Could someone help me out of this?"

We exchanged looks and it was Lily who spoke. "The Protectorate is on its way. You can stay there until they arrive."

I crouched down beside Dinah and spoke in a low voice. "Was this why we had to come to the park?"

"It was important," she said. She bit her lip. "I would have said something if there had been any real danger to you." Her forehead was furrowed like she was in pain.

"Headache?" I asked and she nodded weakly. "I guess the park would be trashed whether we were here or not. Probably worse as the fight would have kept going without me, I suppose."

"I can't say that I've ever had someone use a birdbath as a weapon before," Philippe remarked, having been talking to Laserdream while the pair kept an eye on the Quartet, who were all still down. Glory Girl was being helped up by Shielder and she gave me a groggy look that wasn't exactly friendly.

"I didn't want to trash the park more if I could avoid it," I protested with a half-hearted glare.

"Easy, easy," he held up his hands. "I'm just saying. As ways for a villain group to get taken down, defeat by birdbath has to be pretty humiliating."

I relaxed a little, then chuckled. It was kind of funny.

We were all in a fairly good mood when Armsmaster came up on his motorcycle, along with several PRT transports a few minutes later.

* * *

He collapsed the timeline as he soon as the birdbath was used. Some things simply shouldn't be dwelled upon.


	23. Chapter 23

Armsmaster stared at the wreckage of the park and the smashed ruin of the playground and sighed. Some days, he just didn't want to get out of bed.

"Status?" he asked softly. No one gave him any odd looks about that fact that he was standing off by himself addressing the air, but a moment later, a familiar voice spoke into his ear. 

"The Quartet have arrived with the Wards supplementing the PRT escort. Assault and Battery followed discreetly in case of anything occurring that the Wards weren't prepared for, but no issues," Dragon's voice came over his communication system. "They're being secured as we speak. I saw footage, Colin. And some of it is already showing up on the internet. Mostly at a distance as those filming didn't want to get close, though."

He grimaced. "I wanted an opportunity to talk to Taylor in depth, get a feel for her powers, try to change her mind on the Wards, but if things like this keep happening, she'll be noticed very soon. You said there were already a few videos of the previous incidents out there as well?"

"I did," she replied. "At present, no one has connected her as the video quality and distance is even worse in those, but it'll be only a matter of time."

He sighed. "I'll have to talk to her soon. Did the Pelham siblings get Dallon home?"

"After much arguing," Dragon said. "She was more coherent when they left the park and not happy over what Taylor had Laserdream and Shielder pass on."

He grunted. "She'll have to get used to it. The reports from the kids all agreed on her being responsible for the greater portion of this." He waved a hand at the ruined park. "I'll probably have to endure a rant from the Director as I'm sure she's going to hear about this from higher up, even if we have no direct oversight on New Wave."

"You think the Mayor is going to be having words with the Dallons?"

"His niece was caught in the middle of a cape fight and Ms. Dallon was demonstrating complete disregard for anything but bashing their heads in. Speaking of, do we have anything on why this started?"

"Not presently," she murmured. "I would recommend inquiring of the Pelham siblings, or Glory Girl herself. Failing that, there is the Quartet."

"Those four," he said, making a disgusted sound, "They hardly ever do anything truly serious, but no one's been able to catch them."

"This is the worst thing I've seen out of them in a while," Dragon said. "I wonder how much was them, though."

"Irrelevant," he decided. "We just have to deal with the fallout. What did you think of the changes I made to that program you gave me? For predicting S-class threats? H203?"

"Looking," she said. "The data is sound." Her voice gave away no signs of trepidation.

"I hoped I was wrong," he scowled beneath his helmet. "How long?"

"Based on what I can see of atmospheric conditions," she replied, "I would expect landfall within forty-eight hours."

"That's more warning than we usually get," he frowned. "Forward that-"

"Already done," she answered. "I'll begin coordinating for transportation and prepping to deploy myself as well."

"Thank you," he told her before the connection was severed. He stood there for a moment longer, then scowled again and went in search of his second. There was work to be done.

* * *

Her workshop was quiet save for the occasional sound as she made adjustments. She added it to the stack nearby, humming to herself as she started working on another device. The stockpile grew steadily as her efforts grew more frenzied. She relocated the more exotic ones to a secured locker. The morons that he had working for him couldn't be trusted to handle themselves, let alone her treasures.

She was crossing back to the work space when a sound hit her ears and she felt a sting at her neck. Body control followed and she toppled, crashing against the table. A grunt emerged as her shoulder slammed into its surface, then she flopped, landing in an immobile heap on the floor. What the hell was this? She couldn't even move her toes!

Footsteps reached her ears and she tried to move her head, to see who had intruded in her space. Nothing worked and all she could see were booted feet as they passed before where she lay.

"Take everything that's out," a voice said. Who the fuck? They were stealing what was hers! What sort of shit was this?

"'ill oo," she tried to say, but the words emerged slurred.

"She's still awake," someone said.

"Take care of it," the voice said. "Any chance of getting that case open?"

"No-" she heard another say, then something dark rushed at her face and there was nothing else.

* * *

"So, you want us to stay here?" I asked, staring at Armsmaster.

"The area is secure," he said. "And there's a potential situation coming up. It's certainly more secure than your home, given what's coming."

"You think it's," I started, then swallowed past a sudden lump in my throat, "an Endbringer?"

"Leviathan, yes," he nodded. "Word should be going out soon." He paused for a moment. "Listen, I know you expressed disinterest in being a Ward, but for this, we try to throw every available resource we have. Will you be joining us for this?"

I looked away for a moment, frowning. Did I want to. The sheer scale of what we would be facing soon ...

"You'll keep a watch on Dinah?" I asked. "I need to go talk to my Dad first, to let him know."

"We have time," he said. "And Dinah's meeting with her relatives. The trio are keeping watch and it's in a secure room. Coil isn't penetrating here."

I nodded. "I'll run home to talk to him and be back."

"Do you need transportation?" he asked a moment later and I shook my head.

"No, I'm good," I said. "I should be back within the hour." Armsmaster nodded and I left, heading out of the PRT HQ quickly. Hoping across town to home took no time at all and zipped inside.

"Dad?" I called out. No answer. I frowned. Had work called him for something? I went toward the kitchen and my eyes fell on a note on the table.

"Taylor," I read aloud. "Went out with friends. Back by six." I glanced at the clock. Four thirty.

"Dad," I muttered to myself with a sigh. Guess I would have to talk to him later, if I was to keep my promise to be back.

The phone rang.

"Hebert residence," I answered. Silence. "Hello? This is the Hebert Reside-"

The house exploded. Pain like I had never felt made me scream even as fire and debris was catapulted away. Other things went off and enough of it was unknown that I could feel my field trying to grasp it and failing. I staggered, trying to focus past the pain and the disorientation it had created. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't see.

I stamped my foot, trying to make something, anything, happen. I felt myself moving, things slamming into my back, breaking as I crashed against them.

Then I was falling. And there was darkness.

* * *

 

It was dark when I opened my eyes. Everywhere hurt. I tried to move and felt something twist in a way that didn't feel good at all. I wanted to scream, but it hurt to even open my mouth. I laid there for a moment longer, then drew in a breath that stabbed painfully at my chest. Pushing myself to a seated position resulted in a choked off sound that might have been a scream.

I could move and feel that it hurt. That was a good sign, right? If I couldn't feel anything, it was bad?

Forcing myself to stand brought tears streaming down my eyes. My right arm hung limp at my side and the left wasn't much better. The shoulder of my shirt was ripped and it looked a mottled mix of red and black. Blood? It was hard to tell in the dark.

Grimacing, I started walking, each step bringing pain but after a bit, it began to recede somewhat. Not enough to forget, but lessen to something more manageable. I leaned on the nearby wall for support, turning a corner.

And I stopped. There, where my house had been, was a burning pile of rubble. It made no sense to me at first and I drew in a shuddering breath. What had happened? It was hard to think.

I don't know how long I stood there when something drew me from my reverie.

It had begun to rain. And somewhere, in the distance, I could hear sirens.


	24. Chapter 24

Interlude 2a - Tattletale

She stared at the multiple computers screens, all giving her information to extrapolate from. Notes were scribbled, pinned on the various boards around her. Sometimes strings would be run between them to indicate a connection. Most of what was up currently centered around one person.

The girl. The one they'd encountered after the dust-up with the Protectorate. She had inadvertently allowed their escape from Velocity and what she had learned then had told her much. But there were pieces missing.

She clicked on a window. A youtube video appeared, from a distance, someone daring to film a fight between Oni Lee and Hookwolf. The girl walking through that, blithely unconcerned. Oni Lee producing clones in an effort to kill the Empire Eighty-Eight member. The explosion. And the girl standing in a space that was completely untouched. A moment and then the flames and smoke were dispersed. She stared at the glowing mass of Hookwolf for a moment before she kept walking.

Another video. Also at a distance. Stormtiger and Cricket. The girl completely negating anything they threw at her. Casually swatting them like they were nothing more than mosquitoes.

A video from her employer. The girl foiling an attempt of his to acquire someone's services.

The final video. Filmed at a distance. Footage from him and that of a bystander.

She stared at the videos for a long time.

Redirection of vectors. Complete control. Extends through touch. Possible to propagate through the air and affect other objects. Limitations uncertain. Both passive and active applications.

The possibilities ... Lisa Wilbourne drew in a breath, shaking her head before her abilities led her off into speculation that she couldn't be certain of.

She pushed away from those screens, opening another and bringing up a page.

Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.  
You are currently logged in, All-Seeing Eyes  
You are viewing:  
* Threads you have replied to  
* AND Threads that have new replies  
* OR private message conversations with new replies  
* Thread OP is displayed.  
* Ten posts per page  
* Last ten messages in private message history.  
* Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.  
You have zero warnings.

Her eyes flicked over the threads, discarding most as useless garbage before choosing one.

Topic: New Cape Beats GG  
In: Boards ► News ► Events ► America  
Scholastic Protector (Orignal Poster)  
Posted on April XX, 2011

With an improvised ballistic birdbath! Hahahaha! I never complaining about jogging again!

Its kinda grainy as my phone is not really the most advanced but the girl just OHKO'd Glory Girl. GLORY GIRL! With a birdbath! Along with the lovable but villainous Quartet. Girl had some serious firepower going for her that is for sure.

Video here

I also purposely blurred her face, the girl wasn't even wearing a mask so it was probably just a day in the park for her. Any ideas on who she is?

► Alexis293  
Why was she blaming Glory Girl for all the damage? Glory Girl is awesome, and nice, and pretty, and a hero and stuff.

► LostCynis  
Way I hear it, they almost got roasted a few times by fireballs aimed at her. Never mind how Gloryhog used the buildings as disposable weapons.

► Oz The Great  
Big whoop. Some no-one rogue smacked down four wimps. She's not even hot.

► TinyEdgar  
How do you even tell? Even ignoring the face scrubbing, it was obviously filmed from a distance. Man up and get close to the action!

► Tigger72  
Hey guys, I heard a rumor that the Quartet got taken out by a new cape along with the help of New New Wave. Anybody know anything more about this event?

► TinyEdgar  
Well, duh, we've only been talking about that here. And anyway, no one cares about those losers. Or about you.  
-user has received an infraction for personal attacks. Keep it civil, folks. - TinMother

She skimmed the rest of the thread, shaking her head at some of the comments. Nothing useful there. Her attention turned to the information that Coil had provided.

Taylor Hebert. Student at Winslow High. Or had been. The timestamp in some of the videos suggested she wasn't bothering to attend school. Unhappy because of social situation or something else?

She skimmed over the rest. One parent. Other deceased. Powers believed to be some sort of adaptive defense bubble combined with tactile telekinesis of an absurd degree.

Lisa fought off an almost insane laugh at how far off that was. If Coil really understood what her powers could do, he'd run far, far away instead of trying to work out a-

Adaptive defense bubble.

She swore as another glance at the videos gave her more information. Powers passively reflect by calculating and reversing the vector of the attacking force, while multiplying the force when retaliating. Can account for a wide variety of effects, but things she hasn't had exposure to or doesn't understand might penetrate until she has experienced their effects.

Lisa Wilbourne, also known as Tattletale, grabbed a pen and began writing furiously.


	25. Chapter 25

Interlude 2b - Danny

Cold.

That was all he felt. Even with the sensation of heat radiating from the rubble some distance away. He felt cold. His home. Their home. Annette's. Taylor's.

Taylor.

"Mr. Hebert?" a voice intruded. He turned, staring at the fatigue-wearing woman. An American flag made up a scarf that obscured part of her face as well as a sash that wound around her waist. Dark hair framed similar eyes that regarded him with sympathy.

"Ah, Ms. Militia, was it?" he asked. "Anything?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately not as of yet. Some of the things in the area are ... outside our experience. We're going cautiously to ensure there isn't anything remaining in the way of traps and to account for the oddities there. I can say, at least, we haven't come across any ..." she paused for a moment, "remains. But we're still searching."

He nodded. "Thank you." She looked like she was going to say something else, but nodded instead and withdrew, leaving him standing alone. And cold.

His home. Annette's. Taylor's. 

Taylor.

Another approached. A familiar figure of late. Armsmaster.

"Mr. Hebert," he said gruffly, nodding. "My apologies for this ... " Words seemed to fail him.

"Was it this Coil?" Danny asked, his voice sounding off to his own ears. Hollow.

Armsmaster hesitated. "I do not know. I suspect so, but what we've determined so far, the explosions match to another's preferred methods. We're not sure why they would target Taylor."

"Who?" he asked.

Again, the hesitation. "Some of the effects are things we've seen from a member of the ABB, Bakuda. But, again, Taylor has had no interaction of significance with them, so I can't conceive of a reason why she would do this."

Danny nodded again. "Bakuda."

Armsmaster tensed. "Danny. I know what you are undoubtedly thinking, but let me stress. We have no evidence of this being her actions. Merely that devices she may have made being used to do ... this."

Danny said nothing and Armsmaster stepped closer. "Listen, I assure you, we've got everyone possible looking for Taylor. We will find out what happened here, to her, and who did this."

"Do you have a daughter?" Danny asked abruptly, staring at the ruin of his home. Annette's home. Taylor's home.

Taylor. 

"I do not," Armsmaster said. "I ... The work I do. That's my life."

A nod. "If you don't, then how can you know what I'm thinking?" Heat in his voice, just an edge of it. Anger. It pushed the cold back a little.

"A fair point," replied Armsmaster. "I've seen a lot though, Danny. Experienced a lot. This," he gestured at the house's ruins, "in my years of work, we've had a lot of things happen. Experienced when someone just came in and wrecked our home. I understand that. Trust me, we'll solve this."

Danny said nothing and Armsmaster sighed. "Look, we'll find her, take care of this, but when we do, do you want her to have to face that she's alone because you went off and got yourself killed? Do you want to have me or someone else have to tell her you're dead?"

A frown and Danny's shoulder's slumped. "Just... find her, would you?"

Armsmaster nodded. "We will. I have and will continue to have people searching as much as I can." He started to say something else, then turned as if listening to something. A moment later, he swore. 

"I've got to check in on something," he said. "Just let the agents know when you're ready and they'll take you by headquarters til you can get settled somewhere else." Danny nodded absently and continued to stare at the rubble as Armsmaster moved away.

He stood there for a long time, staring at what had been his home. Annette's home. Taylor's home.

Taylor.

He hoped that the PRT and Armsmaster were able to find her. If they didn't ... he didn't know what he would do.

God help whoever did this if she was dead.

Taylor.


	26. Chapter 26

Angulation

3.1

Step.

Breath.

Step.

Breathing hurt. Walking hurt. It was... I couldn't think. Months now. Nothing had been able to touch me since I gained these powers. Now, everything hurt. My arm was still hanging limp at my side. The other hurt to move, but I could move it, at least. 

I had stood before what was supposed to be my house for a long time, the only sounds that of rainfall and sirens.

The sirens meant something, I knew, but what? When I tried to focus on it, the knowledge slipped free like sand sliding between your fingers.

Another step. 

The streets were empty. It was late. Or early? Dark enough that I couldn't be sure which it was. Early morning. Late night. Did it matter? 

Step.

I had gone home. The phone. And then ... ?

Pain.

A shudder wracked my frame and I pressed my usable hand against a nearby wall to steady myself. When the tremors passed, I drew in a deep breath, feeling like a weight was pressing on my chest. 

Despite the dark, there were still street lights and I used the illumination provided to look around. Where was I? None of the buildings looked familiar and I had not seen anyone since I came to. Had something happened?

I pushed away from the wall and kept going forward in the awkward shuffle that had compromised my walking so far. There had to be someone nearby. It was like Brockton Bay had become a ghost town.

The sirens did not get any quieter as I walked and the rain appeared to be growing stronger. My clothing was soaked through and I wondered what this meant. Something that I should be remembering. Something important. 

I finally came to a stop at an overlook that laid out part of the city and the bay. The lights of the city at night laid out everything in a brilliant map and slowly, I turned to look at the bay.

And the water that was rising. A wave? 

It was. And it was headed straight for the city. 

The daze that had filled my thoughts was ripped away. The house, exploding around me. Pain. Then nothing. After that, rain and sirens.

Rain.

Leviathan. 

I felt cold in a way that had nothing to do with the rain as I thought of the explosions around me. Why had that happened? Coil?

Coil.

I stood there, watching that wave grow closer, wondering what I was going to do, as the rain grew heavier around me. 

\--


	27. Chapter 27

Twenty Four Hours Ago.

"Man, this sucks," Reginald Montague the Third griped, kicking the wall in irritation. In the room, the three others confined with him exchanged looks of exasperation.

"Give it a rest, Chubs," Eric McMillan, the tinker of their group replied, rolling his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling. "We did kind of make a mess."

"Most of that was GloryHog's fault," Laurel, their leader said, turning to glare at Reginald. "Though if you hadn't grabbed her ass, she might not have flipped out."

"What?" he flinched, crossing his arms defensively. "She was hot, I was just showing my appreciation. And she was totally into me."

"Into bashing your head in, maybe," Erie, the last member of their group said, her voice seeming slightly off from the way her lips moved. 

"Ours is a complicated relationship," Reginald replied airily. "She'll come around, though. No woman can resist my overwhelming charms."

Laurel snorted. "Right. Just like that blonde in Houston?"

"Or the brunette in Philly?" Erie chimed in.

"Or the-"

"Really, guys? Really? You're going to do me like this? You all suck!" Reginald muttered, dropping into a sulk near the corner of the room.

"You know, we all kind of do," Eric said with a frown. "We got taken out by a birdbath!"

"As defeats go, I think that does trump anything previous," Erie said softly. "I thought the one where Chubs slipped on the wet pavement and we stopped to help him was bad, but really, a birdbath?"

"As if we needed more of a bad reputation," Reginald grumped sourly.

"Well," Laurel said, stretching her arms above her head, "as much as I am enjoying the Protectorate's hospitality, I think it's time we went our separate ways." The other three were instantly alert at her words.

"You know they're probably listening in on us," Eric said, idly poking at a spot on the wall. "And they impounded my suit and took it who knows where."

"Please tell me you did put some way to track or recover it in with all that weight," Erie said.

Eric looked forlorn for a moment, then grinned. "Don't I always? In fact," his eyes glazed over for a moment, then cleared, "it's on its way now."

"How did you manage that?" Reginald asked.

"Wireless interface that allows me to direct it with my thoughts if I am outside of it," he said casually. "A little implant to my cerebral cortex and voila."

"Your cerebral cortex ..." Reginald said slowly. "You stuck something in your brain?"

"Oh, it was easy," he replied. "A little incision, some drill work, and all set."

"And you did this yourself?" Erie asked. "Operated on your brain?"

"Of course I-" he paused, frowning. "How did I do that anyway?" 

"Ladies and gentleman, my crack team," Laurel muttered. "Chance they'll gas us to prevent our escape?"

"Likely," Reginald said, producing a bag of chips that he began eating noisily. "But it doesn't matter."

"Where did you get those?" Eric asked, staring at the bag of chips. "They searched us, I know they did."

"Ancient Montague family secret," Reginald said seriously. "Not meant for the minds of lesser beings."

"There's literally no place you could have-" he began, falling silent as his companion held up a hand.

"There are some things man is not meant to know," Chubster repeated, crumpling the now-empty bag of chips. For a moment, something dark and unfathomable glinted in his eyes and Eric shuddered. "But for now, we're out of here." Chubster spun and a wave of force tore into the wall near the door, ripping a hole into it even as a massive frame crashed into the hallway beyond. The enormous mechanoid beetle unfolded three spots for them to grab onto, even as Eric slipped into the control chamber.

"Quartet, go!" Laurel said, her voice regaining the overtones of command it held when she was in costume. Erie hunched down on the back of the suit with Chubster and Laurel on either side, wielding their powers to clear a path as they plowed out of the building. Their resistance was minimal, though and shortly they were out and into the steadily darkening evening.

Now.

"This just gets better and better," Chubster muttered. "We tore out of there, but our wheels got jacked and now we have freaking Endbringer sirens? Man, when I see birdbath girl again, I'm gonna-"

"Chubs," Laurel cut him off.

"What?" he asked, glancing across the surface of the armored suit. They had kept a low profile since busting out and had moved out finally to recover their wheels and ditch this place when the sirens began. Now, after finding their car missing all its wheels, they were debating what to do. "I mean, come on, a frakking van loaded with all of Eric's tinker-toys and these guys jack just the wheels? You can't tell me something's not wrong with that!"

"Chubs," Laurel repeated, an edge in her voice, pointing. His gaze followed her arm and he felt his blood run cold for a moment.

There, her clothing torn and bloody with one arm hanging limp at her side, was the birdbath girl. And she was staring right at them.

\--


	28. Chapter 28

I stared at the motley group standing on the hill across from me. The quartet. They had escaped? 

Whatever. I didn't have time for these morons. My house had been blown up intentionally. I was certain of that now. An ordinary explosion wouldn't have done anything to me at all. There was a freaking Endbringer dropping a ton of water on the city and I had no idea where my dad was.

Or if he was even alright.

I pushed that thought away, unwilling to entertain it. He was alright. He had to be.

But these morons in front of me were another matter entirely.

"What do you want?" I said, wincing at how raw my voice sounded. I hadn't spoken since answering the phone, had I?

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" a synthesized voice asked, emanating from the suit. Carapacitator.

"You're the ones who just showed up," I replied. "I was here first. And, unless you're missing it, there's a bit of a problem right now."

"Leviathan." Incandescence's voice was cold as it cut into the night. "The sirens just went off a bit ago. But it looks like he's here."

"My house blew up," I said abruptly. "I don't know where my dad is. Or anyone else I was with. Hell, I don't even know what time it is."

"Nine twenty three," Chubster said nonchalantly. "Thirty minutes since I had a cuban sandwich."

I turned to stare at him. "I have no amount of caring about your fucking sandwich."

"Chubs," the Quartet's leader said, "shut up." She focused her attention back to me. "Look, we don't want any trouble. It was pure chance that ran us into you."

I said nothing for a long time. "Look, whatever. Just try to avoid wrecking a playground because you pissed off some stupid girl." I turned to go, then wobbled unsteadily, catching my broken arm against the wall I had been standing by. A hiss of pain escaped my lips as something shifted on impact.

"Do you need help?" Acoustic's slightly distorted voice asked.

"I'll be fine," I gritted my teeth, taking several deep breaths to focus. "I have to go." Have to find my dad. Dinah. Or go help with Leviathan. Anything but standing here.

"E," Acoustic's voice said again. "Pop open your spot for injured."

"What?" the synthetic voice rang out. The other two turned to her, surprise clear in their body language.

"We'll take her to wherever they've set up for managing the Endbringer," Acoustic told them. "They can take care of her there."

"I'll be fine," I said.

"You can barely walk," Incandescence countered. "Whatever happened to you, you need a doctor. Brockton Bay's got that fancy healer, doesn't it? In New Wave?"

I nodded cautiously. "They do. But I don't need your help. Just go do whatever you were doing. I don't have time to knock you all down again." Dad. Dinah. Leviathan.

"You sound pretty confident for someone with a busted arm and all burnt clothes," Chubster said belligerently.

"Chubs, shut up!" Incandescence snapped. "Or I swear I'll gag you! And if you make a single crack about bondage, I'll have Acoustic wreck your sense of balance for the next month."

Chubster subsided with a grumbling noise. I kept a wary eye on him and looked at Incandescence. "You really want to help me?" 

"There's an Endbringer. Fighting during that is stupid. And we were wrecking the park, you're right. So, yes, we'll take you to the aid station. And then we're gone."

I took a deep breath and nodded. They probably could get me somewhere faster than I could move right now. "Fine. Let's go."

I glanced back at the tidal wave that had slammed into parts of the city. The Protectorate's headquarters had been wrecked already and I hoped everyone there was fine. Climbing aboard the spot they opened for me was a bit of an effort but once I was seated, we took off, toward whatever they had set up for defending against an Endbringer.

\--


	29. Chapter 29

The ride in the weird beetle contraption that Carapacitator had built was not the most comfortable one. Even with the seat that was clearly intended as a resting place for an injured person, it was hardly comfortable. This was compounded by having to skirt areas that had been flooded. The fight with Leviathan was apparently underway.

I hoped that Colin was ok. If I was right, he was probably in the thick of things. A grimace formed as I turned my thoughts from that to worry over my dad and Dinah. Keeping focused was hard and I wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. Unfortunately, Chubster liked to talk. A lot. And if I adjusted sound to cut off his chatter at me, he had a sixth sense for it and promptly began making aggravated faces at me in an effort for me to undo it. It would be funny if I weren't hurting so much.

Incandescence turned her head toward me. "We're almost at the relief area. There should be someone there who can patch you up."

I nodded weakly. The rain was cold and the burst of adrenaline that had come with seeing the ruins of my house had long since worn away. I wanted to sleep. But the water pelting my skin and the tension that hung in the air denied that. Even the four members of the Quartet were on edge. The prospect of an Endbringer here was the source. 

"Oh, hell, incoming!" Carapacitator's voice rang out, making me flinch at the volume level. I followed the gaze of the others, seeing a wave bearing down on the area we were passing through. I swallowed, seeing the enormous amount of water looming ever closer. And nothing between us and it. 

I was barely aware of shouts as I flung myself out of the seat. My landing was one of ill-grace, landing on my shoulder. I sucked in a breath, but it didn't hurt, not really. That had stopped hurting a while ago. I didn't think that was a good thing. Hands grasped me, trying to help me up but I shrugged them away weakly, forcing myself to stand. The wave was growing closer. Could I do this? I'd never moved something so large before ... 

A breath steadied me and I felt clarity settle around me. Sounds seemed to fade to nothing as I concentrated, feeling the air on my skin. Feeling the rain drops. I was touching the air and the air was touching the water. The connection felt tenuous though. The medium was insufficient for what I wanted to do as I was right now. If I were healed, it could be enough, but I needed something more right now.

"I need to touch the wave," I said. Three sets of human eyes and one set of mechanical swiveled toward me.

"That's crazy!" Chubster said. Incandescence and Acoustic were both silent, as was Carapacitator. The Quartet's leader's eyes were measuring. She was their only flier, I remembered.

"What are you going to do?" she asked finally. I opened my mouth to reply as the massive wave chose that moment to collapse, crashing down toward us. Tons of water barreling toward us, heralding what would be certain death.

I shuddered, stretching my field out as far as I could, bracing myself. The water made contact and I pushed. Warmth blossomed on my face and I felt copper on my lips. Was I bleeding? My vision darkened for a moment and then I heard voices. Cries of alarm? I forced my eyes to open, the sight of the water rolling back the way it had come making no sense to me at first. Then it registered.

" 'di' 't," I slurred, wobbling where I stood. Sleep. That was a good idea. I heard what I thought was someone calling my name from a long distance away.

The next thing I knew I was staring up at a clouded sky with rain pelting my face. There were people around me and I felt good. I was healed?

I sat up slowly, staring at the group around me. The Quarter were arrayed near me, caution evident in their stances. And across from them ...

Blonde hair framed features I knew, next to a woman I didn't.

Victor. The woman ... I ran the Empire Eighty-Eight's roster through my head. Othala? They had healed me?

"Was it you?" I asked, surprised that my voice was steady. Victor's attention turned to me and he nodded sharply.

"We were close by," he said. "And in the interest of our current situation, tendered our help to get you on your feet. I assume that the injuries did not occur from the Leviathan?"

"No," I said, not offering anything else. I took a deep breath. "Thank you."

He inclined his head. "It behooves us to work together. It is our city as well." He and the woman turned, setting off without further word. I took another breath and then tested my arms. Nothing seemed out of place or still injured. So I only looked like a horror movie survivor right now. That was something, at least. I stood, found that I was stable and turned toward the Quartet.

"Thank you for your help," I said. "I won't ask you to stay now, so if you want to go, I will be fine."

"What are you going to do?" Carapacitator's tinny voice sounded over the speakers.

"Whatever I need to," I replied, staring up at the still-clouded sky for a moment. "Help. Find out who was responsible for how you found me. In some order or another." I felt charged with energy now, filled with the need to move as much as I had wanted to sleep before. The Quartet said nothing in response to my statements. It was Chubster who finally broke the silence, to my surprise. 

"We're with you," he said, straightening his shoulders, his demeanor radiating conviction.

I stared for a moment. "If you're sure."

"I've put out feelers," Carapacitator said. "Getting an upload on Leviathan's current position and where we can go to help. We're not far from a battle right now. Shouldn't take us more than five minutes to get there. Armsmaster's engaging him right now."

I nodded, suppressing any thoughts of worry. "Get us there." We clambered back into place on his robot and set off. True to his word, we arrived in the time frame he had stated. IN time to see Armsmaster crash to a heap in front of us. He wasn't moving and with his armor, I couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. Off to one side, there were the broken parts of one of his halberds. And there, in the middle of the street, crouched to spring, was Leviathan. There was nothing between it and us.

I dropped to the ground on the side facing the Endbringer as it charged our position.

\--


	30. Chapter 30

The movement of the Endbringer came to an abrupt halt as Leviathan crashed into my field. Debris scattered and the ground broke as he tumbled away in an uncontrolled roll before pitching against a broken stretch of wall. His recovery was quick, a move that was almost graceful as he regained his feet. Leviathan's head tracked onto me and for a long moment, he was still before surging into motion once more. Water gathered in his wake, an afterimage of his shape that moved with him.

The water dispersed in a scatter of droplets even as the Endbringer's form tumbled away once more. I frowned as he gathered himself once more. Was this it? I wasn't sure why he had tried something that was clearly unsuccessful the first time. Though the water was a new addition, so maybe it wasn't identical. Probing to see what works, maybe?

Leviathan was regarding me again in an impossibly still manner. I didn't wait for him to take action this time. A piece of broken masonry that had been part of a building once lay near me and I stepped to it. The debris was easily as large as I was. Size didn't matter, however. I kicked it with my foot and the chunk exploded into shards that flew at high speed toward Leviathan. The Endbringer's reaction was immediate. With a speed that belied his size, he evaded, an afterimage of water exploding as my projectiles struck it. 

His movement however, didn't carry him toward me. Instead, he surged toward where the Quartet were occupied with Armsmaster, who was still unmoving. A stomp of my foot caused the ground to erupt, a pillar slamming into the torso of the Endbringer and halting his motion.

"Get him out of here!" I yelled. Another adjustment drove a wall upward as far in either direction as I could manage, separating Armsmaster and the Quartet for Leviathan. It left me on the side with him. But that was fine. I needed to be able to see him. He was too fast to take my eyes off if I could help it. Leviathan charged my wall, intending to smash through it. At the last second, he banked off. His afterimage continued on, slamming into it with enough force that it shuddered. The Endbringer surged away, multiple afterimages springing up in his wake, moving with him. He was arcing around, moving faster with each step. 

I couldn't tell where the water was coming from and the few times he had interacted with my field made about as much sense as some of what I picked up from Lily's power. It was weirdand the calculations that began when that happened were distracting. Wherever the water was coming from, though, manipulating it was still possible. 

Leviathan spun on a dime and surged toward my wall once more, with the echoes moving with him. He kept his distance from me, I noticed. And, to my sight, another wave was rising in the distance. I stomped and spikes began erupting from the ground, but the Endbringer evaded them with fluid grace. His echoes fared less well, but those that did continued forward at sufficient velocity for whatever he intended, I assumed. 

He was avoiding closing on me and trying to get past the wall. To get at Armsmaster? Or something else. I tried to think of what he might be after if it wasn't the Protectorate leader that he had been fighting. I caused a row of spikes to burst from the ground, dispersing the remainder of his echoes even as he banked away once again. A stretch and a row of debris spun up into the air, stretching out in a line from my position to the distant wave.

Contact. The wave collapsed, its substance reversing away the course that Leviathan had impelled. The Endbringer's head swiveled toward me as it moved, identifying me as the source of the earlier disruption as well? It was hard to tell from its body language, but I figured he was not happy with me. Time to see if I could further that feeling. The area around me was already broken from fighting that had taken place prior to my arrival. It lent me any number of things to use against the Endbringer. 

Stone, metal, earth, air. I dropped everything I could toward him. Imitations of Stormtiger's powers sliced at him, projectiles were launched. Precious few hit. He was just so fast and his movements were beginning to veer off from me. I grimaced and then felt it replaced by a grin. As he called up another of those water echoes, I nudged the water nearby with my foot. All of it burst upward, contact carrying it into his echo as well. All of the water slammed into him from behind, sending him into another uncontrolled tumble.

Like before, though, he recovered and was moving again quickly. 

"Nothing I've done has really hurt him," I grumbled as Leviathan put distance between us before coming to a halt atop a broken pile of debris. Again, that face stared in my direction. I matched the look, considering my options even as I raised a foot and tapped it on the ground in an idle gesture. The ground the debris he was perched on collapsed into a hole, sending the figure tumbling down. My elation was short-lived as he moved even faster than before, bouncing from rock to rock and clearing the fissure in seconds. I propelled another chunk of debris at him as he reached the apex of his arc and bit back a curse as an echo absorbed the blow. Leviathan himself propelled downward, having pushed himself off the water and coming to a skidding halt on the ground not far from me. 

Again, I felt that disorienting rush of calculations as my power tried to make sense of him. I pushed it away, assessing what I could see with my eyes. There were spots of damage that I could see across his torso, but all of it seemed to be superficial. Certainly, he had evidenced no real sign of being inhibited from the few minutes I had just spent fighting him. 

Our staredown was broken as Leviathan moved, leaving behind an echo that exploded from an impact that I had not caused. The Endbringer moved, his speed tripling from what I had already observed, even as lasers pelted his path and another wave of power that I felt cross my aura slammed into him. He went tumbling away, righted himself and crouched in readiness even as water began erupting from every nearby sewer opening. Above, I saw the source of the lasers of the other attack and not far from me, rising from a crouch where her impact had occurred, was another figure. I recognised all three and felt my heart jump in my chest.

The Triumvirate.

\--


	31. Chapter 31

The Triumvirate's arrival was a distraction. Their attacks were flying furiously now as Leviathan began moving even faster than he had been before. Something they did sent him airborne and he compensated with the same tactic as before, manifesting an echo of water and pushing himself clear, evading whatever they had set him up for. Those times that they did hit him, none of the attacks seemed to have more than a moment's effect on him.

Their arrival drawing his attention, however, gave me room to try and make sense of the distorted mess that I received when I touched him with my powers. If I could make sense of that, then maybe I could do something more. But in the meantime, I could still help while I was focusing on that.

Leviathan spun in the air and the water that had exploded up out of the sewers twisted, forming a platform that he landed on. Or that had been his intent, I guessed. The water was touching the ground though. The same ground that I was touching. The instant he stilled, I made the water explode beneath him, splattering in every direction and leaving him tumbling toward the ground. He recovered immediately, though, reverting to the trick of using his echoes and gaining control of his momentum.

I popped those as well, but each time, he gained a bit more control. Then, abruptly, several echoes appeared at once and he catapulted toward me at high speed. I readied myself for the flux of information I would get when he hit my field as he drew closer.

There was a lurch and then the air was rustling through my hair. For a moment, I couldn't figure out what had happened, then I realized I was airborne as well. And being held by someone.

"Are you alright, Ms. Herbert?" a voice asked in my ear. I turned my head slightly, catching sight of a familiar figure. Alexandria. For a moment, I was stunned, words beyond me, at the thought that Alexandria knew my name.

Then, it passed as I realized she had gotten my name wrong. "It's Hebert, one r. I'm fine. Could you put me back down? I was rather busy with something."

"What?" I had apparently surprised her. Or something. Below, I could see Leviathan moving away with Legend and Eidolon moving to corral him.

"I was busy dealing with that thing," I waved an arm toward the fight. "Or I was until you grabbed me out of the way."

"He was about to hit you," she said, apparently taken aback by my words.

"No, he really wasn't," I told her, shaking my head. "It doesn't matter. Just drop me. You've got more important things to do than carry me around." When she made no move to comply, I sighed.

"Sorry about this," I said. My power had been calculating around her since she picked me up. There was more weirdness around her, but nothing anywhere near as complicated as what I had picked up from Leviathan, or Lily's powers. The odd missing areas in Alexandria's calculations made me frown for a moment. Then, pushing that from my thoughts, I twisted the numbers, making her arms spring open.

I heard her shout of surprise as I fell, but ignored it, already calculating and manipulating my trajectory. It took more focus than I had expected, but then there was an ear-shattering boom that I thankfully muted for myself as I was suddenly in front of Leviathan. My hand shot forward, carrying all of the momentum of my fall with it.

My palm touched his torso and the Endbringer almost bent double around me as the force slammed into its torso with as much magnification as I could manage. I thought I saw cracks spiderweb across his torso before the release of energy slammed him into a wild tumble away from me. I straightened slowly, staring at the crater that had formed, centered on me, from when I landed.

"Have to work on that," I mused aloud. I was certain I could do that fall without disturbing the surface I chose to land on. It would provide more energy to use as an attack, as well.

Speaking of attacks, I turned my attention toward the slope of the crater, running up it quickly. Leviathan was gaining his feet and even at the distance from me, I could see that there were marks on his torso. Above, the Triumvirate were darting about but I only had attention for the Endbringer. Facts about Brockton Bay and the thing before me filtered through my mind. He could manipulate water, that was fact. The waves provided ample evidence of this. Why come here, though?

A thought tickled my mind, recollection that all or part of Brockton Bay sat on an aquifer. And the Endbringer before me was a hydrokinetic. Alarm rang loud at the realisation and I brought one foot back, kicking forward. The chunk of rock I had touched rocketed forward, slamming into Leviathan with force enough to stagger. I followed with another, then another still, slowly driving the being before me back.

But, just like before, I got the feeling that nothing I was doing was having a real effect. I needed something more than just projectiles or tons of kinetic energy.

Legend's attacks shot down in a ballistic assault. I stretched out, feeling them, grabbing hold of several even as I saw Eidolon launch an attack that seemed to crumble whatever it touched away into dust. Leviathan raced around, moving to evade both, at times doubling back to try and draw their attacks onto me. I wasn't worried. I had enough of a feel for them now that I funneled anything that could harm me into the sphere of distorted space I was weaving. Sweat dotted my forehead as I worked to keep it stable. The calculations were intense enough that I had to put a good portion of my attention on it.

Which is why I almost lost control of it when the ground gave out beneath me abruptly, water flooding upward to embrace me as I feel.

Oh hell. He'd been working at this while I was stationary? I ground my teeth together, fighting to hold what I was working on steady while I compensated for the lack of a standing surface. It was difficult, but I found a balance and my feet settled on the surface of the water even as it moved upward, carrying me out of the sinkhole.

Leviathan was already moving when I gained sight of him, apparently working to break away from the assaults of the Triumvirate. The sphere I had been preparing shuddered between my hands and I knew it would not hold together long after I released it.

I took a deep breath, then another, and the water shifted, carrying me forward. I could feel it trying to twist away and destabilize me, but I corrected for it constantly. I settled on a flat, if uneven surface and pushed away the water. The ground to one side of Leviathan shot upward, cutting the area he had to move in down. I did the same to the other side, til he was trapped in a narrow column, with me at one end and him at the other.

"Here goes," I said to myself, taking one last breath before pushing off the ground. The air whipped around me as I suddenly shot forward at him. I dipped the hand holding the amalgamation of Eidolon and Legend's attacks low. Any second now ...

Leviathan arced up, water echoes trailing behind him as he used them to push himself even higher. The adjustments I had made after feeling how Stormtiger's powers worked were brought to full use. Air shredded his echoes and an almost tornado caught the Endbringer in midair, buffeting him even while holding him in place.

The sphere of distortions left my hands, propelled toward Leviathan. It slammed into him and I watched the effect twist and tear at him, the air lighting up with glittering sparkles as whatever he was made of crumbled to dust. It was unraveling too fast though and I shoved, the air that had caught him flinging him as far toward the water as I could. With the clouds still filling the sky, he quickly vanished from sight and I exhaled, tension draining away slowly. No waves rose to menace and the clouds overhead began to break apart, sunlight starting to show through gradually.

The last of my tension faded as a sunbeam struck my face. I turned my head toward it, enjoying the feeling of faint warmth, before turning and heading back toward where I had walled off the Quartet and Armsmaster.

Now to find out where Dinah and my dad were, what had happened at my house, and who was responsible.

\--


	32. Chapter 32

Silence reigned as I stood there, feeling the sun on my face. I should move and make sure that Armsmaster was all right, find out where my Dad was, where Dinah was, and a thousand other things, but I was content to just stand there and enjoy the silence for a moment. The sparkles of dust that had ground away from Leviathan were still falling and I manipulated the air to guide a pile of them into my hand, staring at the substance, feeling it with my powers.

My study was broken as I felt the rush of displaced air, followed by the impact of three sets of feet on the ground. I opened my eyes to see the forms of the Triumvirate across from me. I wasn't sure what to think, standing across from them. I had idolized Alexandria when I was younger. I even had an Alexandria themed lunchbox at home

Well, it was probably rubble now, but it had been something important to me. It was funny now, though, how meaningless it seemed other than as fuel for the anger I was beginning to feel.

"Ms. Hebert," Legend said, stepping forward with Eidolon and Alexandria flanking him. "You've just done a very impressive thing. Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention?" His eyes took in my appearance, the tears and scorched marks on my clothes and I saw worry there.

I shrugged. "I'm fine. Someone helped before that happened. I actually-"

"This is our lowest number of casualties in an Endbringer fight in years," Alexandria interjected before I could finish. "Thanks to your intervention."

I should have felt good about her words, the praise laced through them. But I didn't and I didn't know why. "It was nothing. I was just lucky to be there. Is Armsmaster ...?"

Legend nodded and held up an arm, displaying the bracelet there. "He's been relocated and is receiving medical attention. There were a fair number of injuries, but the medics we have on site are working as fast as possible."

"Perhaps we should move to a more appropriate venue?" Alexandria prompted and Legend nodded.

"If you'll accompany us, Ms. Hebert?" he asked me and I felt my eyes widen. "We have some questions and there's-"

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as other capes began appearing, most looking battered or soaking wet. Those who could fly arrived first, followed by those who could not. Word of Leviathan's defeat had apparently already spread and it was several minutes of unbridled celebration before Legend managed to contain the exuberance.

I had lost track of how many people that I didn't know came up to shake my hand before I found myself whisked into a room with a long table. A conference room? Several people were there and a few monitors showing faces as well. None of them other than Legend were people I recognized. Alexandria had excused herself at some point and Eidolon had done likewise, leaving me, Legend, and a lot of people I didn't know.

"Ms. Hebert," a large woman said, rising awkwardly. "I'm Emily Piggot, Director of Brockton Bay's Parahuman Response Team, we have Directors from other cities, including our chief director, Rebecca Costa-Brown." She indicated one of the women on the screen with a gesture.

I frowned slightly, looking around the room at the people. "Um. I'm honored to meet you all, I guess. I really need to-"

"If you'll bear with us for a short time," Director Piggot said firmly. "We have some questions for you concerning what just transpired. Details that we need to acquire in the face of such an unprecedented event."

My frown eased away slowly. It was a big deal to people, what I had done, I guess. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

Judging from the gleam that appeared in several people's eyes, that was entirely the wrong thing to say.

***

 

I shifted from where I stood, feeling my impatience grow. Less than an hour since I'd thrown Leviathan away and thirty minutes since I had entered this conference room and my efforts to get a word in edge-wise had been unsuccessful.

"Ms. Hebert," one of the men on the monitors said, leaning forward toward whatever camera was projecting his image. I wasn't sure the purpose of his leaning forward. Maybe it was some sort of intimidation? Of interest in what I had to say? If it had been anyone else, I might believe it, but this man, Tagg, was a director in some other city.

I didn't like him at all. Even across the monitor that separated us, something about his attitude rubbed me the wrong way.

"Ms. Hebert?" his voice intruded and I blinked, realizing that I had unconsciously vectored the sound of his voice away for most of what he had been saying.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" I asked, doing my best to not appear that I had been ignoring him. From the way his face reddened and the amusement visible on some of the other people, I wasn't successful. The executive director, Rebecca Costa-Brown, had an expression that seemed comforting, but at the same time, there was something about the look in her eyes that I didn't understand. 

I wondered what that meant even as Tagg rallied himself from saying something and restated his question.

"We're still unclear on how you accomplished this feat of dispatching Leviathan?"

I closed my eyes. This question again. I had gone over this several times already after they finished all the introductions. For whatever reason, they were fixated on understanding what I had done and if it could be repeated. Or countered?

I ignored that thought. I didn't have any reason to suspect the PRT or the Protectorate. Armsmaster had been straight with me after our rough meeting. It was a product of my irritation with this meeting and my dislike of Tagg.

"Ms. Hebert, would you answer the question?"

"Why?" I said before I could catch myself. "Explaining it again is pointless. A waste of time."

"We need to understand so we can prepare a replication through the Tinkers we employ," Director Costa-Brown said. "I certainly understand your frustration, but an attack of the caliber you employed is of significant interest."

I sighed. "Look, even if I explain in detail, it doesn't do you any good. It'll just be numbers to you."

"We have several in our employ who understand numbers quite well," Costa-Brown said smoothly. "Please, if you would."

I stared at them for a long moment and grimaced. If it would get me out of here, then fine. I opened my mouth and began explaining, the mathematical equations flowing out with ease. I almost smiled as I watched looks of blank incomprehension appear on the faces of everyone present. The Chief Director's eyes were intent as I spoke, but after I started on the next set of equations, Tagg's expression turned dark.

"Is this some sort of joke?" he demanded.

"Director," Costa-Brown said, her voice firm. "You wil-"

"No," I said, my temper flaring as I stood up. "It isn't. That was the precise breakdown of what I did. I've gone over this repeatedly, from simple explanations to a detailed one. I'm done going over this over and over. I'm tired. My house was blown up several hours ago, I have no idea where my dad is and whenever I try to ask, you divert me with more questions. I'm leaving."

"You'll answer what we want you to answer," Tagg countered.

"And how are you going to make me?" I asked, feeling my temper spike further. "Fine, here's one more explanation!" I called the calculations involved to mind, using my power to impose them on the space above my hand. The air twisted and a hum filled the air. Those physically present stood up, backing away from the table quickly. The light in the room seemed to darken, leaving the light coming off the sphere the brightest object in the room.

It wasn't as large as what I had used before, but the one I had throw at Leviathan would have crushed the room and everyone in it but me. I heard shouting but paid it no mind as I drove the sphere into the portion of the table before me. It shrieked as the attack ground downward, contained by my power.

It continued down, boring into the ground before I dispersed it.

"There. You've seen it. I'm done. Like I said, it's been hours since I saw my dad and I'm going to find him."

"Hours?" a voice asked behind me. A voice I knew. I turned to see Armsmaster standing there, looking battered, but standing unbent. "Taylor, it's been two days since your house blew up."

I blinked. "What?" Two days? That seemed impossible. It had been afternoon when I stopped at home. It was just morning now.

He nodded, then looked past me. "If you'll excuse us, Directors," he said. "I need to confer with Ms. Hebert on several urgent matters."

"I believe that will be acceptable," Director Costa-Brown said, her expression unreadable. Armsmaster nodded and turned on his heel. I followed, my unease returning as I felt the Chief Director's eyes on my back.

"Is my dad-" I began.

"Your father is fine," he replied as I followed after him. "But there are a number of things for us to discuss." He said nothing else, and I had to move quickly to keep up even as I mulled over his words.

I realised he had only mentioned that my dad was fine.

Had something happened to Dinah? I mused over that as I kept pace with Armsmaster's strides. If something had, then was the explosion at home an attack on me? Something to get me out of the way?

The thought flashed into existence and stopped me in my tracks. I hadn't given it much thought in the wake of being healed and the fight with Leviathan, but the dots connected for me abruptly.

Coil. It had been his doing.

Cold settled over me once more and I resumed my pace. First, I was going to hear what Armsmaster had to say and if it confirmed my theory ...

Then I was going to kill Coil.

\--


	33. Chapter 33

Keeping pace with Armsmaster was no simple task. Despite the battered state of his armor, he moved quickly and I was hard-pressed to stay close.

"You said my dad was fine," I remarked, drawing his attention, "but you didn't mention Dinah. Or Phillipe, Shawna, and Lily. Are they alright? And what was all that back there about it being two days since I went home? I couldn't have been out that long."

"Wait," he said, glancing left and right, then selecting a room seemingly at random. There were a group of the Wards in it, chatting with one another. I recognized a few of them as silence fell when they saw us. One in the corner was one I knew little of, but she seemed to tense up as her head turned toward me. She was wearing dark clothes with a mask patterned after a woman's face.

"Out," Armsmaster said, cutting off the Wards before anyone could say anything. "All of you. Now." They exchanged confused looks but complied, the one in the corner, Shadow Stalker, if I was not mistaken, made a show of not moving before she pushed out of her seat, edging past us. The tension I picked up from her seemed to ramp up as she drew closer and as she moved past me, I felt a confusing sense of familiarity.

Whatever. A Wards member that I didn't know having an attitude problem wasn't an issue right now.

"Explain," I said, my patience evaporating as the door closed. Armsmaster had produced a device and was moving around the room.

"You're alright?" he asked finally, coming to a halt on the other side of the table from me.

"I got healed," I told him. "Just before I found you. Are you alright? You looked pretty beat-up."

"I'll be fine," he said curtly. "To answer your questions from before, Phillipe, Shawna and Lily are fine. Dazed by what was used on them that having them out during the Endbringer situation was something I judged to be a danger to them, but Panacea assures me they'll recover fully. Your Dad is fine as well. He was with some friends for a quick after-work gathering and nowhere near your house."

I felt cold for a moment. "And this two days business?"

"We searched the area when word got to us about your house exploding," Armsmaster said, depositing a laptop computer on the table and turning it on. "Even expanded our search in several blocks in case you had been thrown further than we reasoned likely."

"Go on," I said slowly.

"There was nothing, Taylor. We couldn't find a single sign of you. After some discussion with precognitives we employ, we had no way to conclusively say that you were alive or not." he continued, turning the laptop to face me. "Our efforts were hindered with Leviathan's arrival as we had to divert our focus to evacuating and preparing for its landfall."

"Makes sense," I said, nodding. "But you haven't mentioned one person yet."

He sighed, slumping, then leaned forward and pressed a button on the keyboard. "This should explain. The Wards with you were accompanying Dinah to a location for safety. They arrived to this." A video began playing and I looked at it, holding any further questions for the moment.

The video was slightly grainy, but I could still make out everything clearly. A van door opened and I saw several uniformed PRT agents emerge, with the costumed forms of Flechette, Freighttrain and Spyglass flanking Dinah.

Then everything went to chaos. The uniformed agents dropped suddenly, and I saw tension in the Wards. Freighttrain moved to grab Dinah but he jerked, a hand going to his neck, then he crumpled. My attention had been on him but I saw Spyglass dropping as well. Flechette moved protectively toward Dinah, eyes on something I could not see. Then she was suddenly not there, replaced by another figure.

I had the briefest impression of a top-hat before the image brightened abruptly and went dark.

"The three of them were taken down with high-power sedatives," Armsmaster said as I looked back to him finally. "We believe it was some sort of Tinker-produced chemical. It was unique enough that Ms. Dallon had difficulties in purging it from their systems. Flechette reported that she was near Dinah, then she was suddenly on a rooftop in front of several uniformed men. She took the heaviest hit of any of the three of them. Said she injured two of them before they brought her down."

"When did this happen?" I asked, my earlier conclusion coming to the forefront of my mind.

"A day after your house exploded," he replied. "The operation was smoothly executed. We've received no requests for ransom or anything of the sort regarding Dinah."

"He won't make one," I said, certainty settling on me now. A day to wait, to ensure that I didn't reappear, then moving to grab Dinah. It made sense. Something still bothered me though. "My house. What happened there?"

Armsmaster tapped a key on the computer. "There was a Tinker, with the ABB. Bakuda She'd recently come in to bolster their ranks in light of the recent conflicts between the gangs. She specializes in explosives. Her laboratory was raided and we found her in very bad shape. As best we can tell, someone assaulted her and made off with whatever they could lay hands on and used them against you."

I took a deep breath. "Not someone. Coil."

"Taylor," Armsmaster said. "I know that is the most likely cause, but Dinah's a powerful precognitive and we don't have all of the details yet. Assuming that it is him is rash."

"Do you have an explanation for the two days?" I asked, switching topics as that surfaced in my mind again.

"My best guess is that something used had a time displacement function," he said with a sigh. "So that when you crashed down or whatever, the reason we didn't find you ..."

"Was because I hadn't landed yet," I finished as I grasped the details, my mind flashing to the panicked instant of pain, reviewing the calculations that had been occurring then. "That makes sense."

"Now," Armsmaster began, "I want to get you looked over-"

"How did his men know where to attack?" I asked suddenly, interrupting him. "For Dinah, I mean."

His lips twisted. "I have suspicions, but nothing concrete. It could be penetrating our systems and learning of the transfer or someone within the PRT." He looked sour at that thought and I took a deep breath.

"Compromised, then," I said, feeling a touch of disappointment. After the competence that Armsmaster had shown, along with the Wards that had been staying with us, interacting with the PRT side of things was less than impressive currently. Especially after having to deal with that idiot Tagg during the meeting. I still wasn't clear on exactly what all of that had been about, but something to worry about later.

"Can I talk to my dad?" I asked. Armsmaster nodded and held out a phone with a number already programmed and dialing.

"Dad?" I asked as someone picked up.

"Taylor?" my dad's voice came over the line. "Taylor! You're alive!" The frantic relief in his voice made me wince even as I felt worry I had been holding back dissipate.

"I'm ok, Dad," I said, exhaling. "You're fine?"

"I'm good," he replied, then continued hesitantly. "Taylor, the house ..."

"I know," I cut him off gently. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure something out." I took a deep breath.

"Listen, Dad, I want you to stay safe, alright? I'm going to take care of something and then we can go for dinner someplace nice," I winced again as he tried to say something, but I cut the phone off.

Armsmaster was staring at me. "Taylor ... what are you thinking?"

I didn't say anything for a long moment as I met his gaze. I thought of the help he had given me, that he'd shown himself to be a Hero despite our unpleasant first meeting. I thought of what I had decided to do. It wasn't something that Heroes did.

I shook my head. "I can't say. You... thank you for helping. But I'll ... this... you can't help now."

"Taylor," he repeated, alarm creeping into his voice. "Don't do anything rash, please."

I shook my head again. "I'm sorry." I turned on my heel toward the door. His arm crossed my field as he came across the table quickly. I suppressed the automatic response, stopping as his fingers circled my upper arm. He took care, but it was a firm grip nonetheless.

"Taylor," he said in a low voice. "I know you're probably angry over your house, over Dinah being taken. But whatever you're thinking, that isn't a road you want to go down."

"I'm sorry," I said again. "Please let go."

"Taylor," he tried again, but I just tugged my arm, using the force the small motion made in a similar manner as I had with Alexandria. Armsmaster made a noise and I saw him shaking his hand, a wince visible on his lower jaw.

"I'm sorry," I told him a third time before I walked out of the room.

***

No one challenged me as I left the PRT building. Some of the Wards that I saw looked like they wanted to approach, but whatever the expression on my face was served to dissuade them. I stopped on the street corner outside, looking up at the sky as I considered how to find Coil.

I started walking after no answers came to me. Something would come to me, I was sure.

I thought of the Empire Eighty-Eight. Victor and Othala. They had helped. Maybe they could give me something to go on? Or the ABB as revenge for what had happened to Bakuda?

I finally discarded both ideas as I crossed onto a path that gave me a view of the bay. I leaned against the railing, staring at the waters that were still quite turbulent, even with Leviathan's departure. A reflection of what I felt inside?

I had briefly thought, from how nice it was to interact with people my age, to almost call them friends, that maybe I could be a hero. Now I was going to do something that Heroes didn't do. Whether he deserved it or not, heroes didn't kill. And I had decided I would.

Could I, though?

I stood there for a long time, musing over that thought, when I heard a rush of footsteps, punctuated by labored breathing. I glanced up in the direction of the sound, just as a blonde that I could swear I knew stumbled to a halt before me. She was panting and looked pretty beat up. Above one eye, there was a cut and it had bled enough to tint a good portion of her face red.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I," she began, then took several seconds to gather her breath, "I found you, finally. You..."

It clicked in an instant. The voice, the hair. "You were with the ones on the dog-things."

She nodded. "That was me. Later, though, they're not far."

I started to ask who they were, when a huge loping creature bounded into view. It skidded to a halt before us and the blonde moved closer to me suddenly, resting a hand on my shoulder. The thing before us lowered itself and a man stood up, flanked by another man and a woman. All three wore costumes, but what struck me was that the one in the center had on a top hat.

My eyes narrowed. A top hat. It was him.

"How annoying," he said clearly. "Run along, little girl. This doesn't concern you."

"Where's Dinah Alcott?" I responded, ignoring his demand.

He seemed taken aback at the question, then waved a hand in dismissal. "Not your concern. Last chance before you get hurt."

I went cold again. "Wrong answer." My foot slammed down and the street beneath them exploded.

\--


	34. Chapter 34

My first attack brought down the thing that they were on, shards of stone and asphalt shredding it. Its bulk shielded the three atop it, though and they jumped clear, using the body as a shield to block sight. I snorted, then frowned as whatever it was supposed to be began disintegrating. 

"Explain," I said to the blonde without looking in her direction. 

"Travelers," she said. "Trickster, Sundancer, Ballistic. Trickster has a-"

Her words were cut off as the top-hat one shot out into view, his head turning toward me as he twisted his direction. The next thing I knew, I was stumbling forward, facing the other man, who flung concrete at me.

What the hell had just happened?

I shattered the concrete chunk into smaller pieces and flicked it back at him, adjusting the force to prevent it from shredding him, but he went down with a muted cry, bleeding in several places. The girl moved, intending to do something, but the distinct sound of something striking flesh made me turn my head. The blonde had gone down, with the man in the top hat standing above her, holding his cane in what was the end of a swing.

The girl, Sundancer, I assumed, stumbled as I was suddenly behind her. The back of my hand struck her back gently. She bounced away from me, limbs flailing as she tumbled across the uneven pavement. She didn't get up. Three down.

"Just you left," I said clearly. The man in the top hat whipped around, shock evident as he saw his companions down. I started walking toward them.

"What the hell?" he snarled and I had that moment of disorientation as we swapped places again and I caught myself from stumbling into the blonde. Instant teleportation by way of transposing two objects? I devoted a portion of my attention to unraveling the effect even as I turned to face him once more. He vanished when he saw me walking again, replaced by the blonde. Which meant he was behind me.

Air warped around him as I felt the currents disturbed by his cane being swung toward me. There was a strangled sound as he found himself lifted off his feet, spinning madly. For a third time, I felt that disorientation and it was me who was caught in my own ability. Some sort of thread that connected between the things being switched. 

That was really annoying. I redirected the air currents and settled back on the ground gently. I figured now that this was Trickster and he took several involuntary steps back as I touched on the ground.

"Is that it?" I asked him. "Because it's really not that impressive, I have to say. You need objects of similar mass and you can only swap them, am I right?" I felt my dissection of its effects finish and I couldn't help it, I smiled. 

His next attempt to swap with me was redirected and he found himself stumbling, replaced with the blonde.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, righting himself as he made another attempt to swap and he was abruptly where Sundancer had lain

"Dinah Alcott," I said. "You helped take her."

"What about it?" he snarled. Again, I felt his power stretch out and this time I redirected both the source and destination. The blonde and I swapped places and I saw Trickster recoil.

"How the hell are you doing this?" he demanded.

"I don't answer your questions, you answer mine," I told him. "Where did you take her?"

"Go to hell," he snapped, trying to use his power to switch with me once more. He ended up where the other male, Ballistic, was laying and profanity erupted loudly when he realized what had happened. "How are you doing this!"

"I told you," I said, moving forward again. He made another attempt to swap but I just shut it down as my interest in playing evaporated. "I don't answer your questions. Where is Dinah Alcott?"

Trickster was stumbling back now as the realization that his powers were useless sunk in. He made another attempt and I let it, his position changing with the blonde. The cane swung at me once again.

A pained cry reached my ears as he was flung backwards. When I turned, he had gotten to a crawl and was holding one hand, his fingers mangled.

"I'm running out of patience," I said, moving to stand in front of him. "Where did you take her?"

"Not telling you, bitch," he growled, glaring up at me through his mask.

"I can tell you," a hoarse voice said. I turned to it, seeing the blonde. She had a bruise on one cheek now, from where I assumed that she had been hit by Trickster. "I can tell you how to find Coil and the girl."

I stared at her for a long moment, then flicked my finger against Trickster's forehead. He rocketed away in a tumble, coming to a halt in a moaning tangle of limbs. "Start talking."

* * *

It took Tattletale, as I learned she called herself, a while to fill me in. By the time she was done, I disliked Coil even more. And I hadn't thought that was possible. 

I looked away from Tattletale, staring at the clouds for a moment before deciding on my next question.

"And you know where he is now?" I asked finally. There were other things I wanted to know, but most pressing was getting Dinah away from him. "Do you know who he is out of his costume?" I had already decided on what I planned to do to him and at this point, I didn't care about details like attacking him at home or such.

Tattletale's eyes widened at the question and she drew in a whistling breath. "You're serious about this."

"My house is a pile of burnt rubble," I replied. "He wants to attack me at home, I'm willing to return the favor. Getting Dinah first, though. Where?"

"I can show you," she said. "Let's go."

"Wait." a voice croaked as we turned. I glanced back at the speaker, seeing Trickster climbing to his feet. "We're not done."

"You're an idiot, aren't you?" I asked. "Didn't earlier make it clear you've got no chance?"

He shook his head. "He's gonna help he-, us. Can't let you kill him."

"I don't have time for you any more," I snapped. "Tattletale, let's go. Trickster ... take your friends and get out. I won't be as nice if I see your face again."

He made a move to switch places again, to get at Tattletale, I assumed. I didn't bother with anything fancy this time, I just let my power reflect it. He flickered for a moment and then clutched at his side, a scream erupting as he doubled over. I stared at him, unable to see what had happened, but there was a growing stain of red on the ground. 

Tattletale had a sick look on her face as I turned away, looking back and forth between Trickster and me.

"What?" I asked. 

"You're not going to help him?" she finally asked.

"Not really," I replied, walking away. "Call the PRT if you want. I have more important things to worry about than a kidnapper." I didn't look back. After a moment, Tattletale moved to catch up to me as we left the Travelers laying on the ground.

\--


	35. Chapter 35

"What are the chances of my survival in the next six hours?"

"Go to hel-"

"Let's try that again," he said, drawing his hand back slowly. Eyes burning with hate stared back at him sullenly. "Why make this harder on yourself? You can answer me truthfully and get something that will make the headaches go away. Or you can continue to be a problem and it will only hurt worse. What are the chances of my survival in the next six hours?"

A spark appeared in her eyes and he knew she was looking. He leaned forward, eager to hear her answer. His eagerness evaporated as her eyes focused back on him and she smiled.

"One hundred percent chance that you die in the next six hours," she said. For a moment, he thought she had chosen to mock him yet again and his hand came up once more. She did not flinch at the motion, however. His pet continued to stare defiantly at him.

"What are the chances that it is someone I know who is responsible? Tattletale?" the Travelers had moved to secure her when her intent to turn on him became clear, but they had not returned yet and that worried him. Perhaps he should relocate to one of his other bases?

"One hundred percent chance that it is someone you know. Zero percent chance that Tattletale is the one," the girl said. Coil cursed mentally. He had rid himself of that nuisance and acquired his pet, but she was proving quite an aggravation.

"One of the Travelers? The Undersiders?" he demanded, his thoughts working furiously. What had changed so drastically? The last time he had asked, he was secure in the odds of staying alive. That had been right when Leviathan's assault began. Something had changed, but what? The Endbringer was gone, he knew that, but Thomas Calvert's inquiry had yielded little beyond the fact that there were fewer casualties than expected. Rumors abounded from Leviathan sprouting wings and flying away on a rainbow to the child of Alexandria, Legend, and Eidolon appearing to smash the Endbringer. But actual facts were few and far between. His contacts knew little. There was a press conference scheduled for later in the afternoon when statements were to be made, but until then, he had a distinct lack of information.

It was not a state of affairs that he liked. Tattletale had chosen to rebel at the worst time. He could have used her power to extrapolate and draw conclusions. Not for the first time, he cursed his decision to not simply addict her to something and control her in that fashion.

"Zero percent chance of either of those," Dinah said in a monotone. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but closed it as a resonant thud sounded somewhere in the distance. His pet's smile returned and it was an unpleasant one now.

"One hundred percent chance that is the person who is going to kill you," she told him.

"Who?" he demanded. She merely shook her head slowly and he seized her arms, shaking her roughly. "Tell me!"

Another thud and the staccato sounds of what might be gunfire. Dinah's smile turned nastier and her next words turned his blood to ice water.

"She's here."

* * *

I stared at the loading dock from a short distance away, scanning the area. There was no one visibly present but I was certain there had to be guards.

"This is where he's at?" I asked Tattletale.

She rubbed her arms and nodded. "He has other bases to fall back to, but this is his primary one. He brought her here. He has something else here too. Or maybe someone else. Related to the Travelers."

"Whatever Trickster was babbling about?" I asked her, frowning. I hadn't paid it much attention, but it seemed he had been talking about a person at first. I would have to keep an eye out.

Tattletale was silent for a moment, then she nodded. "Whoever, whatever, isn't well. They thought Coil could help."

I stared at the building. Coil probably had defenses that weren't obvious in addition to whatever guards he had. And whoever or whatever this was connected to the Travelers.

"Any other capes working for him?"

"None that I know of at the moment," she told me.

"That'll do," I interrupted before she could continue, starting across the street.

"You're not going to take out his other bases first?" she asked, rushing to catch up.

"And give him a chance to run? No." Something occurred to me. "And if he goes maskless to try and run, who am I looking for?"

Tattletale said nothing for a long moment as the loading dock drew closer, then spoke. "Thomas Calvert."

I stopped walking. "The contractor for the PRT?" My mind raced, considering this fact. "You're sure?"

"Absolutely," she told me firmly. "His plan is-"

"Irrelevant," I interrupted, facts starting to come together in my mind. Was this known by anyone in the PRT? Was the entire scene in the conference just a means to delay me? I ran the possibilities through my mind before pushing them aside. I didn't have enough information to draw any certainties yet. "His plan was trash the instant he blew my house up."

A pair of guards emerged from the doorway at the end of the dock as I climbed the steps. They sighted me and aimed their weapons immediately, then one of them visibly recoiled. Was this one I had encountered before?

I didn't even stop moving. My fingers tapped one of the support posts at the edge of the dock and it ripped away, flying toward them. The overhang covering the dock shook, and I saw Tattletale look up at it nervously.

The metal of the loading doors crumpled inward, ripping away from its frame with a load clatter and I started inside.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Coil demanded, staring at the row of monitors. More than half of them were showing nothing but static and the Travelers were not responding. There were reports of Protectorate activity and the PRT were moving as well and someone was in his base crushing everything.

He stared at the screens, watching another go dark. Snarling, he spun toward where Dinah sat, cuffed to a chair.

"You said she. Who?" he screamed at her.

Dinah's smile turned even nastier. "One hundred percent chance she is someone you've met."

He snarled, raising a hand, then let it drop as a thought occurred to him. "It's her, isn't it? Taylor Hebert survived the explosion somehow."

"One hundred percent chance that you're right," she retorted, making a pained noise as his hand struck her in a backhanded blow.

"Speak when I ask you questions and no other time," he snapped, ignoring the feeling of cold dread. He split realities, dispatching his guards in one and moving to escape with his pet in the other.

Profanity slipped out as he immediately collapsed the one that he tried to escape in. He and his pet had not even reached the secret exit when he found her waiting for him. He paced in the room where he remained, weighing his options. His eyes settled on the controls and the key to the self-destruct system. If he triggered it now, he could deny her his pet and hopefully kill her, though he did not think that likely since she had survived the explosions at her home.

He shook his head. No. There had to be a solution to her. Somehow, he would salvage this situation. He began reviewing his plans, judging which might be of use now.

His eyes fell on one monitor, on a mostly dark room. The Travelers had not returned. Had they encountered Hebert?

He flipped a switch. "Ms. Meinhardt. I have some news."

"... What do you want?" a female voice demanded.

"There is someone assaulting my base. I believe that she has killed the Travelers." he muted his end as soon as he said that, wincing at the discordant sound of rage that erupted from over the intercom. The monitor showing the door to her chamber shook as the door was ripped asunder. He had a brief impression of something huge tearing through the hall before that monitor went dark. He split, in one, he remained behind to observe, in the other, he took his pet to depart while Hebert was occupied.

He glanced at Dinah, then struck her a blow that knocked her out in the timeline where he was retreating. He quickly stripped from his costume, donning the gear of one of his soldiers. No one knew that Coil was Thomas Calvert and if he was quick, perhaps he could slip away unnoticed.

He dropped the timeline with a snarl as again, he encountered Taylor Hebert. Worse, Tattletale was with her. The Travelers had failed utterly then. Noelle had not even slowed her down. What the hell was she?

He considered, then began punching out commands on his computer. He did not know what means of escape he had, but he would strike at Taylor Hebert regardless of what happened here.

Taking a deep breath, he opened a drawer, lifting a pistol from within it. He eyed the dark metal contemplatively before setting it aside and turning his attention to trying to piece together what was happening within his base.

* * *

The guards were everywhere, armed with more than just guns this time. Laser weapons and several tossed grenades at us. Tattletale stayed behind me as I moved forward. Bullets bounced back at the men, energy bursts were cast back. I didn't even bother with anything fancy nor did I stop to check on any of the soldiers. They worked for Coil and as a result, I cared nothing for them. Just obstacles in my path.

I was surprised that Tattletale had chosen to stay rather than taking the opportunity to run. She had been observing everything intently as I moved further in. Did her power give her some sort of insight into things? A Thinker, perhaps?

It didn't matter. Another group of soldiers came around the corner, drawing my attention. I wondered how much they were being paid that they kept coming when it was apparent that they had no chance even as they went down to their own reflected fire.

Ahead, a roar echoed and we stepped out into a large cavernous room. On the other side was a twisted monstrosity. At the top, was what I thought would be a fairly pretty girl under other circumstances. But from the waist down, she was a mass of flesh, eyes and mouths and a twisted collection of limbs.

"What the hell?" I asked aloud. "What the hell is he keeping in his basement?"

"That's whatever Trickster was talking about," Tattletale said behind me. "Her powers are broken, twisted her somehow."

"You killed him," the female at the top of that thing said, her voice venomous.

"Probably," I said, not even bothering to deny it. "He helped kidnap a girl and hurt people that I thought could be my friends."

"I'll kill you!" she roared, charging forward in a lumbering lope. She was a lot faster than her bulk suggested. Had she broken out? Had Coil set her on me?

"You might want to stand back," I said to Tattletale, eyeing the rapidly approaching figure. My hand came up and the attack I had used against Leviathan twisted into being. It was easier each time, I noticed.

The figure across me didn't slow, even as I saw horrified comprehension appear in the woman's face. I let the attack fly unerringly. Her momentum sent her straight into it and it ballooned as I released the constraints. An unearthly shriek filled the air as it ate away at her. For a moment, I saw the woman's face relax into the faintest of smiles before she was shredded by my attack.

Tattletale was staring at me when I turned, her face pale. "What?"

"You just ... killed her? Without even trying to help?"

"And what was I supposed to do?" I asked, shrugging. "I couldn't help her any other way. Come on, I'm going to end this."

"Noelle was twisted by her powers," a familiar voice broke into my thoughts and I spun on my heel toward the source. There, on a catwalk above us, with one hand holding Dinah firmly by the arm, stood a man. "And you just executed her when I could have helped her." Dinah was staring at me, her expression somewhere between relief and worry.

"Your point?" I asked, refusing to feel guilt. "Let Dinah go. Now."

"And if I don't?" he demanded. "Will you kill me the same way that you did her? Destroy me so there's no trace I ever existed?"

"If I have to," I said, staring at him. "You started this. If you had just taken the hint after I freed Dinah, we wouldn't be here now."

He produced a gun, pointing it at Dinah's head. "If I can't have her, then no one will. Not a step further."

I stared, drawing in a deep breath. There was enough distance between us that I wasn't sure I could hit him with anything before he pulled the trigger. "You don't seriously think I'll let you walk out of here, do you?"

"You'll do exactly that," he countered. "Or I'll kill her and damn the consequences."

"He isn't lying," Tattletale said quietly behind me.

"I can tell," I muttered, thinking of what to do. I met Coil's eyes. "What do you want?"

"You, dead," he snarled. "You've been a nuisance since that day on the street."

"Me dead, and Dinah as your slave?" I elaborated, testing the flow of air in the room with my power. "And my incentive to let that happen?"

"You'll do it, or I'll kill her," he said, pushing the barrel harder against Dinah's temple. "You're a hero, aren't you?"

"Where," I asked softly as I continued to see if I could bend the air to do as I wished, "did you get that idea?"

"Wha-" he began as the air currents in the room shifted abruptly. A miniature tornado ripped the gun from his hand with a distinct crack. His fingers twisted, I saw him clutching at his hand even as Dinah stumbled away. Her run was awkward, with her arms cuffed behind her, but the distance between them eased me somewhat.

I started forward. "I'm not a hero. I don't go out as one of the Wards and fight crime with a secret identity. I just wanted to be left alone. That wasn't enough for you, though, was it? You killed her parents, ruined her life so you could have her power. You attacked me at my home. Destroyed it."

Dinah stumbled down to me, burying her face against my side. I smiled at her. "Dinah, go stand over by Tattletale, would you? I have to take care of this and I don't think you need to see this."

She looked up at me, then nodded in wordless agreement. I started up the stairs to the catwalk. On it, Coil took several steps back as I climbed toward the top.

"Stay back!" he shouted as I came level with him. "I'm warning you!"

I shook my head. "There's nothing you can say that will stop me. You can't hurt me. You can't touch me."

His other hand came up, holding something. "I can hurt them! One press and this place blows up around us! You might survive, but what about Dinah or that traitorous bitch down there?"

"Is that it?" I asked, bending the air to crush his other hand and the device with it before he could press anything. "I'm going to kill you. Because you won't stop otherwise, will you?"

"You're not a killer," he countered. "I researched you. All this power and you didn't strike against those who tormented you."

"I wasn't a killer," I disagreed. "But I guess you made me into one." I took another step forward.

"Please!" he tore at his mask with his damaged hands, revealing the frightened face of Thomas Calvert. "He made me be Coil! It's just an act that he forces me to play. Coil is someone else, I don't know who!"

"He?" I asked, skeptical of his words. I glanced at Tattletale, who looked confused, shaking her head as if something were bothering her.

Calvert nodded. "He threatened me, forced me to do this. Blackmailed me!"

"I don't believe you," I said. "And even if I did, you still did it."

"You can't-" he said, paling and scrambling back away from me. "I'm innocent. He'd have killed my sister if I didn't do what he said!"

"I can, and I don't care," I said, pushing aside surprise as I realized it was true. I didn't care if Calvert was telling the truth and that there was a sister being threatened by the real Coil, if there was someone like that. "I told you, I'm going to kill you. That isn't a promise, or a curse, or something that can just be taken back."

"You're a monster!" he accused, staring at me in shock. "I'll pay you! Anything you want! I have money! It's yours!"

"Maybe I am a monster," I murmured in reply. I took hold of the nearby railing, pulling up, ignoring his babbling. A section of it broke away in my hand and I held it toward him, my thumb pressed against the end nearest to me. "Your money is worthless to me. Goodbye."

My thumb flipped against it and the air between us superheated as it shot forward. Coil tried to say something further, but there was only a wet sound as it struck his head. Blood splattered and I felt some of it strike my skin as I let it through.

I stood there for a moment longer, waiting to be sure that Coil didn't rise from the dead or have any other surprises in store. When his body remained unmoving, I turned and walked back toward the stairs.

"Let's go," I told Dinah and Tattletale. The handcuffs broke with a touch and I took care to ensure she wasn't hurt by the breaking.

"I ... I couldn't see you in the numbers," Dinah said. "And then you were suddenly there."

I nodded. "It seems like there was a thing with the bombs when he blew up my house. Are you okay, though?"

"I am now," she said, gulping in air before she hugged me. "Can we go? Please?"

I nodded again. "Tattletale?"

She blinked at me. "Me?"

"You showed me where he was," I told her. "If you want, you can come with."

The blonde bit her lip, then nodded. "I'd like that. And call me Lisa."

"Then, let's get out of here," I said and we started out even as somewhere distant, I could hear sirens.

\--


	36. Chapter 36

Interlude 3a - Parahumans Online  
  
 **Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.**  
You are currently logged in, TinyEdgar  
You are viewing:  
* Threads you have replied to  
* AND Threads that have new replies  
* OR private message conversations with new replies  
* Thread OP is displayed.  
* Ten posts per page  
* Last ten messages in private message history.  
* Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.  
You have zero warnings and one infraction.  
  
 **Topic: Endbringer Attack? What happened?**  
 **In: Boards ► News ► Events ► America**  
 **KirbyisaCannibal** (Original Poster)  
  
 **Posted on April 29th, 2011**  
  
What the hell happened guys? Brockton Bay has some water damage and the Protectorate HQ sunk, but the casualty list is super short. What's going on there in the Bay?  
  
►  **Refle128**  
  
My contacts are saying some no-name got involved. Said they saw Leviathan on a ballistic arc out of the bay.  
 _User has received a warning, please refrain from posting without evidence. -TinMother_  
  
►  **TheDreamGuy**  
  
Baseless speculation is baseless. Try to stick to what we know.  
  
►  **TheBirdBathGirl**  
  
I sent Leviathan into orbit with a birdbath! Watch out or you're next!  
 _User has been banned. Enjoy your vacation for impersonating someone. -TinMother_  
  
►  **SlowMiss1**  
  
The Birdbath joke is old. Let it go.  
  
►  **Sunreva**  
  
Speaking of Birdbaths, has anyone seen reports of the Birdbath Girl since her show at the park with GloryHog?  
  
►  **KnightoftheCart**  
  
Can we stay on topic? Taking out Glory Girl and a bunch of jokes < Leviathan. Does anyone seriously think she had something to do with that?  
  
►  **PrinceFerryman**  
  
I heard that she was-  
 _Message has been redacted by the moderators. Folks, rumors about a cape's personal life are not relevant to this post. -TinMother_  
  
►  **TinyEdgar**  
  
Oppression! Our voices cannot be censored! Click here to see the truth  
  
►  **Nillerb**  
  
More spam, TE? Didn't you learn your lesson before?   
  
...  
  
Holy balls! What the hell is that? Did she just propel that metal bar through his head?  
  
►  **Ebar**  
  
Now I'm curiou- Oh my god. What's the source for this? Do we have audio? Anyone?  
  
►  **TinMother** (Moderator)  
  
Go here to continue the discussion on that video. Keep this thread to Leviathan-related topics.  
  
  
 **Topic: Video of parahuman slaughtering everyone in her way**  
 **In: Boards ► News ► Events ► America**  
 **TinyEdgar** (Original Poster)  
  
Video here. What did the guy do to warrant that? What about his men? She swatted them like bugs and didn't even seem to blink. Is this what our capes are really like? The moderators don't want me to show the truth, but I will not be denied! Their oppression will be resisted!  
 _Mostly we want topics to stay on topic. Have another infraction for creating multiple posts about this everywhere. -TinMother._  
  
►  **CaffeineJunkie**  
  
Without sound, it's hard to draw a conclusion here, but that doesn't look particularly good. Anyone know who the blonde is?  
  
►  **AirAccumulator**  
  
Even without sound, I think that guy is a jerk. Probably deserved it!  
  
►  **SergeantNotEnoughKill**  
  
Far be it from me to be against random violence, especially if deserved, but is anyone really considering the fact that a lot of what we see about capes paints them as pretty harmless save for a few outliers like those freaks in the Slaughterhouse 9, but this girl was pretty damn terrifying in that video. They were shooting at her with all sorts of things and all of it was being bounced back, likely killing all of those guys.   
  
►  **TheBicorn**  
  
Pretty obviously edited. Someone has an agenda here. And where's the sound?  
  
►  **TinyEdgar**  
  
No word on the blonde, but the masked guy, Coil is Thomas Calvert, of Fortress Securities, in addition, he serves as a consultant to the PRT and Protectorate. So, money on the brunette being the PRT or Protectorate's disposal unit? Like, the PRT or Protectorate got wind of his alter-ego and dispatched her to deal with him?  
  
►  **Nillerb**  
  
That's pretty sketchy, even for you, TE. The PRT doesn't have a disposal unit.  
  
►  **TinyEdgar**  
  
That's what they WANT you to think!  
  
►  **Triumph** (Verified Cape)  
  
There is no secret disposal unit with the PRT or Protectorate. Whatever happened there was not initiated by us in any fashion.  
  
►  **TinyEdgar**  
  
You're a newbie to the Protectorate. Your word is mud.  
 _Infraction received for insulting. Keep it civil. -TinMother_  
  
►  **LokiSilvertongue**  
  
We're getting pretty far afield. How did we jump from her barreling through Glory Girl and some losers to  _that?_ Is she stable and/or sane?  
  
►  **Thelonias**  
  
Clearly she isn't that stable. No one just walks through and leaves so many dead without even blinking an eye at it is what any normal person calls sane.   
  
►  **#1Reptile**  
  
She was obviously a threat and that guy was protecting the little girl from her evil!  
  
►  **KirbyisaCannibal**  
  
That doesn't even make sense. You obviously have a special view of the world.  
  
►  **Ebar**  
  
I think we should at least be concerned over how casually she did that. What's to stop her from just doing that to whoever annoys her?   
I mean, I don't buy into TE's paranoia, but what do we really know about how dangerous capes can be?


	37. Chapter 37

Interlude 3b - Director Piggot

The video halted and Emily Piggot closed her eyes, drawing in a slow, measured breath.

"Explain, in brief, how this happened," she told the man standing before her. She had worked with him for years since being appointed to Brockton Bay, but she had to admit that she had never seen him look as tired as he did now.

A sigh escaped Armsmaster's frame. "Which part? When Taylor Hebert appeared out of nowhere and tossed Leviathan away, or when she came to the conclusion of who was responsible for her house being blown up and walked out on me with the intent to kill him? Which she apparently succeeded at."

"None of your reports suggested the capacity to repel an Endbringer," Piggot said pointedly.

"It wasn't a fact that I was aware of," he replied. "To be absolutely honest, given the possibility of the girl, Dinah, being targeted again, considerations on the scope of her powers were not high on the list of priorities. Especially with her disinterest in joining the Wards."

"Mmm," Brockton Bay's PRT director said. "Regarding that. Reasons?"

"Disillusionment, I would measure. Apathy in some regard, too."

"Unaware of one of her tormentors being a Ward, then?"

"I believe so. But I'm not convinced that she would care if she did know," he said. "I had hoped that exposure to other Wards, Flechette, Freighttrain, and Spyglass, would pave the way for her induction into the Wards program."

"And regarding Calvert, assuming that this video is authentic and he was Coil?"

Armsmaster's expression darkened. "That, from the information we've gathered, is fact. What his goals were remains another matter entirely. We're going over what information we were able to obtain from his systems, including trying to track down who made that video available."

"And Ms. Hebert?"

"Currently, we've arranged for lodging. With Coil's operations broken for the most part, we don't expect further issues with Ms. Alcott, but given her connections to the Mayor, we're erring on the side of caution." he replied. He hesitated and she leveled a stern look at him.

"Out with it, Colin," she told him.

"May I ask your thoughts on the Hebert situation? What do you intend to do?" he asked.

"Those above me have stressed that association with the Wards program is highly desirable, given recent events. It is suggested that whatever means accomplishes this is acceptable." Piggot said sourly.

He arched an eyebrow. "Whatever means?"

"Apparently," she said with a snort, "some factions believe that coercing her through any means necessary, such as threats of prosecution, is an effective means of persuasion." She held up a hand to curtail him. "Thankfully, Director Costa-Brown is not one of those and has stressed that this is a delicate matter. Still, this video, doctored, or no, lends support to those other factions and their view of her as dangerous and needing to be controlled."

"On a leash, you mean," he snorted.

"One way of viewing it, yes," she said. "It is a case of no small importance and one that must be handled with care. Understood?"

"I'm not sure how we're going to manage this," Armsmaster admitted. "I don't have confirmation, but I believe the blonde with her in the video is Tattletale, from the Undersiders. What little we know on them suggests a high level Thinker. Knowing Calvert is Coil is going to erase a lot of goodwill that had been built up from association with the Wards."

Piggot made an indelicate sound to convey her opinion of Thomas Calvert. "Nonetheless, I don't believe this is an insurmountable obstacle. At present, we have latitude in how we act, but as I mentioned, there are those who desire a forceful approach. Opinion is divided and even Director Costa-Brown has others she answers to. If those people start listening to the more extreme opinions ..."

He nodded. "Heard and understood, Emily." He rose and she eyed him critically.

"And get some rest. You look terrible." she told him. "I need you on top of your game. Oh, and before you go. The Travelers?"

"In custody," he replied. "Well. Three of them. We're not sure about the one called Genesis, but Ballistic and Sundancer are secure. Trickster did not survive his injuries. He was dead before we arrived on scene."

She nodded. "Good enough. Keep me updated. And get some rest." He nodded curtly and left the room. Emily Piggot sat there for a long moment after he had gone before rising slowly. Not for the first time, she cursed her infirmities.

Thomas Calvert.

She had worked with him. He was a bastard, she knew. That he had gained powers and used them in some bid for who knows what made her wonder how well she had known him at all. Even with what she did know, it perplexed her. But he was enough of a bastard that she could believe it of him, of that she was certain.

No matter. She pushed a key, starting up a different video. This one from one of Dragon's units that had captured the fight from a distance. She stood there, watching as the girl blasted Leviathan away, the footage ending with a shot of her, the sun beginning to shine on her face while something sparkled down around her.

Opinions were divided over this Taylor Hebert. And Emily Piggot was not surprised. What she understood about the girl's power was frankly terrifying, especially given the demonstrated ease that she manipulated the abilities of Eidolon and Legend. Or the casual escape from Alexandria's grip while airborne. To say nothing of her propelling Leviathan away as if he were nothing more than trash to be discarded.

And now the Director wanted her aligned publicly and openly with the Wards. And dealing with the more extreme elements within the PRT that wanted her dealt with in a more serious fashion. Fear. The Leviathan incident was one issue. It was compounded by her unstoppable march through Calvert's compound that culminated in her executing him without even blinking an eye.

Now her town was tasked with the unenviable situation of managing this. She fully expected the more extreme elements to bring pressure on her in a bid to circumvent Costa-Brown. She grimaced sourly at that thought. Knowing some of their antics, she would not be surprised to see them assign Tagg to the matter if given the opportunity.

The thought made her grimace again and she took a deep breath. She could handle this. It was hardly as difficult a situation as some she had faced. It was just a matter of bringing in the right people. Armsmaster had made some inroads with the girl. Hopefully those could be repaired and strengthened. Now for the matter of how she was perceived. And she knew a way to address that.

Emily Piggot, Director of Brockton Bay's Parahuman Response Team, picked up the phone and dialed a number.

\--


	38. Chapter 38

Inversion

4.1

"You're kidding me, right?" I grimaced as I asked the question, unwilling to believe this. "You want me to return to school?"

"Hear me out," Colin said, holding up a hand, "as there are several reasons to this. Not the least of which is perception."

"Perception?" I asked, frowning.

It was Colin's turn to grimace. "I've had to go over a lot of things in the past few weeks since that incident. Including working with someone that I don't get along with all the time. After your actions, a lot of scrutiny was brought on the area, focused mainly on you."

"Me?" I asked, frowning at him. "The Leviathan thing?"

"In part," he said. "But that wasn't all of it. Your actions after brought a lot of attention as well. Much less positive attention. Especially in light of that video."

I made a face. "I was taking out cameras as I went. I must have missed some."

"Regardless, a video of you was released across the internet showing most of your trip through Coil's base and your summary execution of him in front of a twelve year old girl," Colin said. "That it was edited to remove some of the more objectionable parts is of no account. All people say is a parahuman demonstrating apparent invincibility and leaving a trail of bodies behind her before killing their leader with a projectile that left very little of his head behind."

"And the Endbringers kill how many people a year? The Slaughterhouse Nine? Never mind some of the overseas capes! I don't understand why it matters," I said, frustrated.

"Perception," he murmured. "Out of sight, out of mind, if you will. Most people never see or interact with your examples and thus they lose momentum in how they're thought of. It doesn't affect me, so it doesn't matter, is what they think."

"That's stupid,"

"Often," Colin agreed as I stood up and paced around the conference room. "But in your case, on the heels of fighting an Endbringer and casually ejecting him from Brockton Bay, you went and slaughtered a bunch of people, disintegrated another, and used a high velocity projectile to destroy a man's head."

"Why are you hammering that point? Trickster helped Coil! That thing, Noelle, or whatever, was a monster! Coil was going to do who knows what with Dinah!" I exploded.

"I'm hammering it because actions have consequences, Taylor," Colin said calmly. "You have power. A great deal of it. And if what I understand is correct, the potential for even more. But that doesn't exempt you from the consequences of the things you! How many ways could you have incapacitated Coil without killing him?"

I turned away. "I don't know."

"Quite a few, then," he surmised. "But regardless of what you could have done, we have to deal with what you did."

"And going to school helps this, how?" I asked, unable to conceal bitterness from my voice. "I go around and everyone gets to stare and whisper at the crazy parahuman murderer?"

"Perception is what matters," he said. "And with everyone able to see you there, interacting with people your age, just like any other normal student, that will shape their perception of you." He arranged some papers before him. "I don't entirely agree with this approach-"

"You're not the only one," I interrupted in a desultory tone.

"But the one who outlined it is exceptional at his job, whatever my own feelings, and I have faith in that, at least." Colin continued as if I hadn't spoken. "He's never been wrong before, I will point out."

I sank down into my chair. "That why you don't like him?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny," he said easily. "Nonetheless, if you're seen as normal student, like everyone else, that is what they'll come to believe. They'll see Taylor Hebert, high school student and not Taylor Hebert, dangerous parahuman."

I stared at a point on the wall. "And when it becomes a repeat of Winslow?"

"That," Colin stressed, "will not occur, I assure you." His face twisted for a moment before smoothing out.

"Something wrong?" I asked, wondering what that was about.

He shook his head. "Just another matter that I have to go speak with Director Piggot on. An issue that both of us have concerns about is all. So, will you do it?"

I massaged the sides of my forehead. "Let me say that I think this is a phenomenally bad idea, but fine."

"It took them a bit to sort out the relocation of students after Winslow being a casualty of Leviathan, but classes resume tomorrow. Eight a.m." he said, arranging the papers in front of him. "And don't worry, everything will be fine. You might even make friends."

"Right, friends," I snorted, shaking my head as I rose. "I'm going to head out and see what's going on at the house. Thank you for that, by the way."

"Don't thank me," Colin said. "The Mayor pulled strings. You were, unofficially, serving as protection detail for his niece. Finding a city-owned property that was languishing was a simple matter. The donations, well, our public relations people are efficient, if nothing else."

"Doesn't stop the looks I get from those who saw the video," I pointed out.

"It's not an immediate change, but we'll shift public perception in your favor," Colin said. "Have faith in that."

"I wish I were that optimistic," I said as I left the conference room.

* * *

It was sunny as I walked down the street after getting off the bus. The reactions of people around me still served to confuse me. The PR division of the Protectorate had taken action to release a counter to the video of Coil's death, releasing, for the first time, a video of an Endbringer battle. Or part of it, at least. The part that involved me punting Leviathan out of Brockton Bay, primarily.

I had seen it. It left me disgusted, to be honest. The entire thing was polished to show that, despite the damages done, Leviathan made no headway against the defenders of the city. The overall tone was of capes mounting a valiant stand against an implacable enemy and driving him back. It completely cheapened the people that had fought and died. I knew my presence had affected the outcome by a fair amount, but people had still died fighting him. Heroes and villains alike.

Heroes. Villains.

Which was I? I had saved Dinah, but people had died in the process. A lot of people. I could try and write it off saying that his guards killed themselves by continuing to attack me, but my power was what had turned their attacks back on them, so that excuse rang hollow. I couldn't write off Noelle or Coil. I had killed both, knowing full well what I was doing. Did that make me a villain?

I felt eyes on me as I walked. The areas closest to the harbor were in the worst shape and work was underway to repair them. More than a few people stopped to stare openly, before calling out words of thanks. For the people that lived closer to the Bay, who were only now getting back power and such, all they knew of events was the announcement regarding Leviathan. I was recognized on sight by a lot of people now. Other parts of the city had not suffered any loss of power and had seen the other video and the looks I got elsewhere ran from good to bad.

I turned a corner and saw the results of the Mayor's goodwill. Along with that of quite a few other people as well. There had been a lot here when this began, empty and overgrown. Now, it had been trimmed away and more than a half of a house was in place. Once word had been spread about Leviathan, someone within the Protectorate or the PRT, I wasn't sure who, had released details about me and what had happened to my house as a result of Coil's actions.

Images of me, taken at some point that I wasn't sure of, had accompanied it. Apparently, my looking like I'd been half-set on fire and with a vaguely shellshocked look on my face had swayed opinion, as far as much of the public went. Donations for rebuilding had been flowing in since, complete with construction crews volunteering their time.

I wondered how much of it was just attempts to cash in on good publicity, then decided it didn't matter as long as there was a roof over our heads again. Dad was talking to someone that was in charge of coordinating the crews working together as I approached. He raised a hand to wave and I smiled, stopping to stare at the half-finished building. It was going to be larger than our previous house and definitely nicer, both in location and interior.

Part of me hated that the house I'd grown up in was gone and couldn't accept this as a replacement, but it was a small part. The rest was consumed with thoughts of how neat it was to have a new place. A new start.

I felt a smile cross my features as I started up the walk toward where my dad was, feeling the discontent in my chest ease a bit. Maybe this situation with going to Arcadia would work out after all.

* * *

I was right. This was a terrible idea.

Enough of the students at Arcadia had seen the video of me killing Coil before the official word circulated about Leviathan and my part in things. It had clearly slanted their opinions. And even though none of them had said anything, I'd noted a lot of frightened glances and whispers.

It was sunny enough that I had taken my lunch and went to sit outside, leaning against a tree out on the grounds, as far from anyone else as I could manage.

"Why am I even here?" I asked myself, picking at my food.

"Presumably for the betterment of your education?" a voice asked and I glanced up, bending away any light so that I wasn't dazzled by the sun just to the left of the person standing there. He was a year or two older than me, square jawed and athletic. I guessed he was probably some sort of sports team player for Arcadia. Maybe football?

"The math being taught there is something I can do in my sleep, the english is reading books that are, no offense intended if you like them, boring, and the other classes I have feature people staring at me when the teacher isn't looking," I said. "Not a lot of betterment to be had."

"Dean," he said, holding out a hand and smiling. I blinked, then shook his hand, feeling my face heat a bit. Why was this person talking to me?

"Taylor," I said. "Um, can I ask what you're doing here?"

"You looked lonely and I thought I'd come over," he said easily. "May I sit?"

"Um, sure," I said, scooting over. What was going on? Was this some sort of prank? He couldn't actually have come over to talk to me because I'm lonely, could he?

I blinked twice, then shook my head as a thought occurred to me as to why a high school sports player would come over to the new girl, who was the talk of the school. Was he hitting on me?

"What?" he asked, glancing over at me with a curious expression on his face.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just a silly thought," I shrugged. "So, really, why come over here?"

It was his turn to blink. "Exactly as I said. You looked lonely. And I'd hardly be one to pass on trying to cheer a girl up."

Oh god, he was.

I looked away, biting my lip at the thought. How stupid was I, to think that? It was probably some sort of prank that I hadn't figured out.

"Well, I'm not," I said, jerking my head toward the crowd of students that littered the quad, eating lunch. "Especially not when the alternative is dealing with the stares."

"Yeah, I heard you haven't had the best reception today," he said, sounding sympathetic. "I wanted to change that, though. Arcadia's glad to have you here."

"It's all a stupid public relations mess," I muttered, my irritation with this idea coming to the forefront again. If I ever found out who was responsible, I was sorely tempted to redirect a crate of bottles at them. "Arcadia gets a- Never mind. It's stupid."

"You sure? I'm happy to listen if you'd like to talk about it," he offered.

"Look," I said, pulling my legs around so I could get up. "I'm sure you're nice, but I'm not interested in anyone, thanks." Before he could say anything, I was up and walking away with my tray.

* * *

Dean sat there for a moment, looking bemused as he watched Taylor Hebert cross the quad and disappear inside. That could have gone better.

"Dean!" a familiar voice called out and he turned to see one of his friends approaching.

"Carlos," he said, getting up from where he sat.

"How'd it go?" Carlos asked, clapping him on the shoulder.

He gave his fellow Ward a half-smile. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think I just got shot down."

"Wait, what?" Carlos said, looking confused.

"I think she thought I was hitting on her," he admitted. "She talked for a moment, then blew me off."

"Oh man," Carlos laughed. "You know, maybe I should have been the one to approach her. Lot of people saw you go up to her, when word circulates, Vicky is gonna be pissed."

Dean paled. "Oh gods, I didn't think of that."

"Speaking of Vicky," Carlos said, glancing over Dean's shoulder. "I'd better be going. Word of advice, beg." And then he was gone as Dean turned to see his girlfriend crossing the quad toward him.

"Definitely a bad idea," he muttered to himself as he saw the look on her face, then straightened and prepared to offer explanations. Sometimes, he really hated Armsmaster and his assignments to them.

\--


	39. Chapter 39

The afternoon classes were a bit better, though for a good portion of them, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was glaring at me. I kept my attention on the teacher, however. I didn't want to get dragged into whatever it was that had this person upset if I could help it. I had a free period after this one and I intended to go find the library and hide there for a while. Maybe whatever had this person annoyed would pass during that time.

The english literature class finished much faster than I had expected and I relaxed slightly as the bell sounded. At least the lit class wasn’t as boring as the math classes. Those had become even more of a joke since the events that happened around Leviathan and my house being blown up. It was actually a bit worrying, honestly. I’d find myself ignoring the teacher and doing math in my head, my calculations ranging out far beyond anything I had done before. 

When I caught myself spacing out performing a mathematical breakdown of the structure of the desk beneath my elbows, I frowned. As I collected my bags, I thought on those instances. They had started becoming more common and I didn’t understand why. Had something changed with my powers? Was it something I had not realized before now? 

I left the classroom, navigating my way through the hall without paying much attention to who was around me. The hallway was crowded enough that people were brushing by me constantly in their rush to get to their next class. I used my power to subtly redirect their movement, managing the flow of people around me so that I went in a straight line without having to step around anyone.

I would like to say that no one noticed, but I continued to feel angry eyes at my back. I went to the half-sized locker I had been assigned and deposited my books when I felt a familiar stab of awe as a hand slammed against the wall beside me.

“You have some nerve coming here,” Victoria Dallon said angrily. Had she been the one staring at me?

“Coming to my locker to put my books away?” I asked, blinking at her.

“That isn’t what I meant!” she snapped. “I meant here. Arcadia. After what you did.”

Oh. She’s sore about that. “In my defense, I did ask you to stop.”

“They were crooks!” she retorted. “Do you know what he di-hey!”

“What?” I asked, stopping as I had turned to walk away. “No, I don’t know what he did, and I don’t care. As to the other … who did most of the damage to the park again?”

“You don’t understand!” she told me. 

“I don’t care,” I countered. “Are you really going to make a scene about something that happened weeks ago? It’s done. Is there anything else?”

“Vicky,” a voice intruded and I noticed a freckled brunette behind the blonde. Amy. Panacea. “You promised.”

Vicky, as she had been called, took a deep breath, though her expression only eased from anger to irritation. “Look, I wanted to talk to you.”

“About?” I asked cautiously, then frowned as I noticed several people were staring at the three of us. “Wait, let’s go somewhere else, I suppose. I have a free period.” 

Victoria Dallon brushed past me, clearly intending on leading the way to somewhere. I sighed and followed, nodding absently at her sister’s murmured apologies. 

* * *

“So, what do you want?” I asked once we were situated in a corner of the library. I bent the sound around us so that our conversation would be private. 

Victoria looked angry again and then glanced to Amy, sharing some sort of wordless conversation before Amy, looking awkward, leaned forward. “We’re here to talk to you about joining New Wave.”

“Joining New Wave?” I repeated. “Um, how’s that work? It’s a family thing, isn’t it?”

“It was discussed about opening things up a bit,” Amy explained, “to see about reviving the movement in light of your own circumstances.”

I settled back in my chair, thinking. This is not what I had expected. I had envisioned Glory Girl leading me up to the roof in hopes of some sort of rematch or something. I shook my head. “I don’t know. Being a hero … I don’t think I can.”

“Because of that pedo-loser and what you did to him?” Victoria asked, snorting. “He got what he deserved. He blew your house up trying to kill you, killed that girl’s parents, hell, who knows what he was going to do to her if you hadn’t come along. He got off light, if you ask me.”

I stared at my hands as her words sunk in. “Maybe. I’m not so sure.”

“Please,” she replied, snorting again. “You’ve got some crazy sort of power that lets you turn birdbaths into deadly weapons.” She paused. “That doesn’t sound nearly as cool as it should for something that took me out.”

I rolled my eyes. “The birdbath has nothing to do with it. It was just there. It’s actually manipulation-”

“Nerd-speak,” she interrupted me in a rush. “You kicked my ass, I wasn’t happy about it, but I got over it. Now, you’re going to hang out with us. I’ll get my boyfriend and we can head to Fugly Bob’s, the four of us.”

“I don’t think-” I began, exchanging a glance with Amy even as Victoria continued rambling, barely paying attention to me. 

“It’ll be fun,” she finally said, then rolled her eyes. “Though Dean will probably drag along some of his loser friends. Maybe Carlos and Dennis, then we can all pair off.”

“I’m not interested,” I began and Victoria blinked, then peered at me through narrowed eyes. 

“Not into guys?” she asked. “Huh. Takes all types, I guess.”

“What? No, I have things to do after school. That don’t involve Fugly Bob’s,” I said, feeling some irritation at the girl’s mercurial topic shifts. “It might have slipped your notice, but there’s more going on for me than coming here and hanging out with people I barely know at a burger place.”

“Come on, seriously,” she cajoled. “It’ll be fun..”

I shook my head. “Thanks, but no. I can’t drag Dinah around to Fugly Bob’s. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to pass.”

“Well, here,” she fished out a cellphone. “Let me get your number and you can have mine. We’ll arrange some other time?” I stared at her, then to Amy, who gave me another apologetic smile.

“She doesn’t give up easily,” her sister said.

“Fine,” I said, rattling off a number for the phone that Colin had supplied me with. “Don’t get your hopes up, though.” I stood up. “I’m going for a walk. It was nice meeting you, Amy. And nice meeting you without massive property damage, I guess, Victoria.” I dispelled the effect on the air around the corner table and walked away, ignoring the rapid whispered conversation between the sisters.

* * *

Dinah was at my side as we walked down the street. Ahead, a soup kitchen was open, adjacent to a shelter, which was our destination.

“How was your day with school?” I asked her as we entered the building. 

“Stupid,” she said, surprising me at the bitterness in her tone. “Any time the teachers weren’t paying attention, the boys were all wanting to know what it was like to see someone die and the girls were either trying to suck up, or being mean.”

“They really asked you what it was like to see someone die?” I blinked.

“Jerks,” she said, scuffing at a spot on the floor with her shoe before going over to where I stood by the counter, waiting for someone to come from the back.

“It gets better, sometimes,” I told her. “Or it should. I’m not the best choice for making a case for positives in school, though.”

The door to the office opened and a dark-skinned male, a few years older than me, I think, with pleasant features that made me smile a bit in appreciation stepped out, with an expression of irritation on his face. The moment his eyes settled on me, his expression darkened into something unpleasant.

“Oh, Taylor,” Lisa said, emerging from the office as well. “This is Brian. He was just leaving.” Her voice was distinctly chilly as she said this.

“Bitch,” the aforementioned Brian said, storming out with a thunderous glare at me, making it clear the words were aimed at me.

“Um, what was that?” I asked.

“Someone I know,” she shrugged. “We had a falling out. Nothing to worry about. Glad you could come by.”

“Your message said you had something important to discuss,” I pointed out. “What’s up?”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do with your powers?” she asked me.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been on my mind, but I don’t have any answers yet.”

“Well, I have some thoughts,” she said. “You two come back in here and we can talk them over.” She grinned and gestured toward the office.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked as we settled in the chairs in front of her desk.

Lisa’s grin didn’t lessen as she produced a plate of cookies and offered them. I took one and Dinah took two. “Well, what I was able to glean about your power, suggests that its applications are even more varied than we’ve guessed. I think you could turn it to making a profit fairly easily.”

“A profit?” I turned the idea over in my mind. “What do you mean?”

“Well, how about this,” she said, and began explaining, her grin never wavering.

* * *

“When’s the house going to be finished?” I asked as we sat in a large corner booth, joined by Dinah’s cousin, Rory, who was the Mayor’s son. 

My dad swallowed and drank some water before answering. “They’re saying another week to finish construction, then a day or two more to get all the appliances and furniture installed.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “The hotel is nice, but really, a proper bedroom in a house would be nice.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” Rory interjected suddenly, looking at me intently. “For saving my cousin. Twice.”

I flushed and shook my head. “It’s fine. It was what anyone else would have done.”

“Maybe the first time,” he disagreed. “But saving her after she had been taken? When you could have just done whatever? That makes you a hero.”

* * *

Dinah had fallen asleep some time ago, but I continued to lay there, listening to her breathing from the other bed. Her cousin had called me a hero. People had congratulated me for protecting the city from Leviathan and also called me hero.

So why didn’t I feel like one?

The answer came as I closed my eyes and dreamed of a man bleeding out on the pavement, men falling to their own reflected attacks, and a man’s head exploding.

\--


	40. Chapter 40

“Are you sure we’ve got permission for this?” I asked, shifting my footing as the waves rocked the boat we were out in the harbor on. 

“Absolutely,” Lisa said, grinning. “I spent the week checking everything and processing all the appropriate permits. All rights of salvage are ours. I don’t know how much is going to be usable, but at the very least, there should be plenty of scrap metal that can be sold.”

I gave her a dubious look but she only widened her grin before continuing. “You can look over the paperwork if you want. It’s pretty dull stuff though.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I leaned over the edge of the boat, gripping the rail with one hand while the other brushed over the line stretched out into the water. A pair of divers had gone down and attached it to one of the smaller ships that littered the boat graveyard. 

With the line serving as a conduit, I felt my powers encompass the wreck. I slid my hand further down, touching the water as well. Some distance away, the waters of the bay began to froth and bubble as I drew the boat up toward the surface. Our own small vessel rocked from the disturbance but I paid it no mind as the derelict fishing boat emerged.

“Perfect,” Lisa said, moving up beside me. “Do I need to call the crew to attach lines or can you draw it back with us?”

“I can pull it easily enough,” I told her. “That’ll be faster than waiting for them to get out here and all.” Lisa nodded and gestured to the boat’s operator while I adjusted my power to compensate for movement and we started back toward the docks.

Getting settled with the men who would go over it for us took some time, still, to which I amused myself by manipulating the water in the bay into shapes while Lisa talked to the foreman, finalizing details of some sort. Dinah had stayed at the dock to watch as the boat did not have enough room for all of us and was now watching what I was doing.

“All done,” Lisa came over with her trademark grin. “Who’s up for lunch?”

“Where?” I asked even as Dinah perked up.

“Fifty-seven percent chance that it’s italian,” she said. Lisa paused with her mouth halfway open before staring at Dinah.

“Oh really?” she asked. “And what if … “

“Sixty point three percent chance you’re about to say chinese,” Dinah interrupted and I glanced between them, noting that Dinah was developing a definite smirk as she met Lisa’s gaze.

“Maybe I-”

“Forty-two point seven five percent chance of indian cuisine,” Dinah interjected again. Lisa was matching her expression now, a light in her eyes that said she would keep going.

“One hundred percent chance both of you are insane,” I rode over whatever Lisa had been about to say. “I’ll pick something, then.”

“Eighty percent chance that you’ll choose Greek,” Dinah said quickly. I turned to look at her and she merely gave me an innocent smile. 

“Cute,” I retorted and turned on my heel. “Let’s go.”

* * *

“Lily!” I said in surprise as we crossed onto Arcadia’s campus. Dinah gave me a hug before heading off to her part of the school, waving at Lily as she did so. “I thought you had gone back to New York.”

She waved a hand. “It took some time to get everything in order, but I got moved to Brockton Bay. So, I’m here now.”

“Neat!” I said, then looked her over. “You’re okay, still? You were still pretty out of it the last time I saw you. Philippe and Shawna?”

“Both fine, and yes, me too,” she said as we started walking. “I got in last night, met up with some people and got settled. Staying in a temporary place for the moment while I see what’s available.”

“Our new house should be finished this week,” I murmured, tentative. “If you want, you can stay there. It’s going to have plenty of room. And multiple bathrooms.” Lily laughed at that, both of us thinking of the cramped conditions and single bathroom my old house had.

“I might take you up on that,” she said. “And are you okay? I saw the videos, both of them. And some of the things that came up after that.”

I shrugged. “I’m coping, I guess. Good days and bad days.” I thought of some of my restless nights with a momentary frown.

“You sure?” Lily asked and I glanced at her, forcing a smile and nodding.

“Yeah. Just something I’m dealing with,” I told her. “So, you’re here to stay?”

“I am,” she confirmed, glancing at a paper she held. “Speaking of, do you know where Mr. Venkman’s classroom is?”

“That’s my first one in the morning,” I said with an arch of my eyebrow. “I can show you.” We walked in silence for a bit and I wondered about her being assigned to my class. Was it Colin pulling strings or something else? The thought of how some of the PRT officials had behaved came to mind abruptly and I scowled.

“-Taylor, Taylor?” I blinked and looked up, to see Lily staring at me in concern. “Are you ok? You just sort of spaced out on me.”

“Sorry,” I said, and meant it. “Just thinking about some stuff. Distracted me. Mr. Venkman’s class is here, though.” I indicated a nondescript door with a glass window to my left. Lily didn’t appear satisfied with my explanation, but we entered just before the bell, giving her no time to question me further.

Lily didn’t say anything after that class as we walked to Dr. Stantz’ class next. For once, I gave what was being said my full attention and the hour and a half passed quickly. When Lily’s class list had her in the class after that, I led her to it and endured another math class that bored me out of my mind. 

Lunch came and we settled in a corner. The middle school students got their lunch before the high school, so Dinah had already been and gone. Lily and I took a table in one corner and settled down to eat.

“So, any ideas on why we’re sharing classes?” Lily asked. “Coincidence?”

“I doubt it,” I said between bites of the pizza they had served today. “Question is whether it’s your boss pulling strings or someone else.”

“Maybe just to help me acclimate?” she asked. “So that I’ve got someone I know to show me around.”

“That’s possible,” I said, pushing aside my suspicions. They were silly, anyway. There wasn’t any ulterior motive in Lily being in all my classes. I pushed at the object that was supposed to be a brownie with a skeptical look.

“Taylor!” a voice interrupted me as I raised my head to ask Lily her thoughts on the substance that might be a brownie. Dragging her sister in tow, was Victoria Dallon. “I was looking all over for you.”

“I’ve been right here since I sat down,” I said, trying not to roll my eyes. “What can I do for you?”

“After school, you’re coming with us to eat,” she said. “No excuses this time. You can meet Dean and all his friends with us.”

“I have-” I began.

“No, no, no,” Vicky rolled over me. “You’re always off with business or something. Bring Dinah and your friend here.” She looked to Lily with a questioning glance, even as Lily appeared a bit stunned.

“Vicky,” I said patiently. “You’re projecting again. Tone it down. And this is Lily.”

“Oh! Sorry! Nice to meet you,” she said before turning back to me. “Anyway, I won’t take no for an answer.”

Some hint of mischief must have hit me as I raised an eyebrow at her. “Nein.”

Victoria stared at me for a moment, blinking owlishly. “What?”

I shook my head with a sigh. “Never mind. Where did you have in mind?”

She blinked. “You’ll go?”

“You’re not going to stop asking unless I do,” I said reasonably. “So, yes. We’ll go after school.”

“Awesome,” she said cheerfully. “You can ride with me and Amy, we’ll meet everyone there.”

“I thought I would-” I began, but in her usual fashion, Victoria steamrolled right over whatever I was going to say.

“You won’t mind getting Dinah and meeting us at Fugly Bob’s, will you, Lily?” she said, giving her a bright smile. Still dumbstruck, Lily nodded weakly. “Great! I’ll see you after classes!” With that, she was off, dragging her sister along.

“Ladies, non-existent gentlemen, I give you Hurricane Victoria,” I said with a roll of my eyes. Lily appeared to be stunned still and I snapped my fingers. “Still with me?”

“Oh, um, that was…” she shook her head. “It doesn’t get any easier to deal with.”

“I guess,” I shrugged. “Restraint doesn’t seem to be in her vocabulary. Along with no.”

“And you’re really going to go?” she asked. “After the whole birdbath thing?”

“Oh, for,” I began, shaking my head. “You too? It was one time.” My budding rant cut off as I saw Lily smirking at me. “I hate you.”

“Sure you do,” she said, paused, then continued. “Birdbath girl.”

“Hate you,” I said again. “So much.”

* * *

“Awful lot of traffic,” I remarked as we tried to negotiate our way to Fugly Bob’s.

Victoria made a disgusted sound. “People still not used to the new routes since they’re still working on the areas damaged by Leviathan. Or tourists. Who knows? Either way, they’re stupid.”

“You’re awfully quiet,” I remarked to Amy, wanting to move the subject away from Victoria’s ranting. “Everything alright?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Victoria said. “Just doesn’t talk much, right, Ames?”

“Right,” Amy said, glancing at me briefly, then to her sister with a look that I couldn’t identify. “I should probably go over to the hospital.”

“You do that all the time,” Victoria told her. “Take a break, hang out with us. I’m sure that I could get Dean to-”

“Please, no,” Amy interrupted. “I told you already.”

Victoria said something in response, but I tuned them out, not wanting to become involved in whatever the topic was. Something else was bothering me, anyway. The traffic had gone from a crawl to a complete stop. 

“Vicky,” I said, even as their argument continued. I tried again. “Vicky.”

Neither appeared to notice me and I frowned, then raised my voice. “Vicky!”

“What?” she blinked, jarred from her discussion with her sister. 

“Pull into that space over there,” I said, indicating an open space right near us. “And hurry. I think something’s wrong.”

“What, are you serious?” She turned her head, scanning the cars ahead. “I don’t see anything.”

“Trust me,” I said, even while uncertain what had motivated my sudden conclusion. The air felt odd around me. Victoria glanced at me again, then did as asked. We got out and stepped onto the sidewalk while looking around, Amy standing close to her sister.

“Should I go up?” she asked.

“I … maybe,” I said, then took a step back as the air around the three of us tinted red abruptly. There was a dizzying lurch and everything around us turned black. 

I caught myself from stumbling, looking around at the dark space we were in. 

“What the hell?” I said aloud. Had that been some sort of teleportation? It didn’t feel like what Trickster had done, but it was my only explanation for what had happened.

“Where the hell are we?” Victoria demanded. I could barely see her and Amy in the darkness and there wasn’t …

Was it getting lighter?

No, I opened my mouth to say something as light flared abruptly. Amy and Victoria were surrounded by a perfect sphere that blanked out any sight of them. At the same moment, to either the left or right of me, rectangular bars of light sprang up. 

“Welcome!” a voice boomed from somewhere. “The game is Pong. Begin!”

What.

No. Seriously. What.

Then it hit me. Uber and Leet. And a pong themed game. With Amy & Victoria trapped in the ball.

What.

\--


	41. Chapter 41

I was stunned. I really was. They had somehow teleported us here, trapped Vicky and Amy in a ball of some sort. And as they hadn’t broken out, I could only assume they had a way to hold her in there that negated Victoria’s powers.

Well. Time to see if the same was true of mine. I took a step toward the sphere, raising a hand.

“Oh, no,” the voice called out and the sphere shot away from my reach. “No cheating. The goal is two hundred points. And if you do anything but play, the sphere goes boom. You might survive, but will they?”

I let my hand drop, watching as the ball bounced from one side of the room to the other, deflected by the paddles. This was really happening. I’d agreed to go hang out with Vicky and now I was caught in a demented game of pong by these two losers. 

“What the hell?” I demanded aloud. “Why would you do this? Are you stupid?”

“Of course we’re not stupid,” the voice said even as one of the paddles banked the ball at me. “But you’re there and if you don’t play, your friends go boom. If you cheat, your friends go boom. What’s it going to be? One hundred points and the game is over.”

“One hundred points,” I repeated, bouncing the sphere and controlling its speed as much as I could when it was reflected. “And my friends aren’t going to be hurt from being used for pong?”

“Play the game and you’ll see,” was the reply as the paddle on my right caught the ball and shot it toward the other side, intending to score. The left paddle swooped over to block, bouncing it at me. 

I stopped the sphere with one hand, feeling out the details of it with my power before it was pulled away.

“Uh-uh,” the voice said. I wasn’t sure which one of them it was, but it didn’t matter, really. “No cheating.”

“Rules?” I asked, grimacing in the dark. I didn’t want to, but it looked like I would have to play along, for the moment. I hadn’t gotten enough of a feel for the ball to disrupt it yet. Especially when I didn’t know what sort of surprises they had in store if I did. “This obviously isn’t your normal pong game. Those don’t have three players.”

“Correct!” they replied, sounding pleased. “One hundred points. Scoring areas are opposite sides for player one and player two. You gain points as player three whenever you intercept the other shots.”

“I gain points for stopping you two from scoring?” I asked. “Fine. I’ve got a better one for you. I’ll have fifty points before either of you can score any and then this is over.”

Silence. I waited a moment, then raised my voice. “Come on! You brought me here for this stupid game! Agree or let us the hell out of here, losers!”

“You’re on,” was the reply. With only the light of the ball the Dallon sisters were trapped in to illuminate me, I smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile and I hoped the two idiots could see it.

The pong ball started moving and I kicked off from the ground, using the air to propel myself forward as one of the paddles fired a shot. Mentally offering apologies to Amy and Victoria, I tapped it with my foot, bouncing it back where it came. It was deflected, and I missed the return pass, but the other side stopped his teammate from winning.

So. They were at least avoiding the easy way out of my challenge. Good to know. But I wasn’t going to be anywhere near as nice. Managing this application of air took a bit of getting used to, but I adapted quickly, pelting the ball in whatever direction I saw fit, leaving the two of them scrambling to counter. The three scores quickly read zero-zero-twenty five and I parried another shot, sending the score to twenty-six in my favor.

“You’re intercepting all of our shots!” they shouted.

“That was what I said I would do,” I retorted. “Don’t tell me you’re sore that you’re getting shown up by a girl?” No response came verbally, but the speed of the shots definitely picked up. Twenty-four points to go. 

I hope you two are okay, I thought as I banked another shot away, getting more of a feel for the ball as I did so. I hadn’t detected anything that I couldn’t counter yet, but Leet was a tinker and there was no telling what sort of bullshit he had built into whatever this place was made of.

“Fucking tinkers,” I muttered as I drove the score up to forty in a series of rapid-fire exchanges. I wanted to laugh. This was one of the most basic applications of my power. Why did they pick this, of all games?

“Ten points to go,” I said, kicking another shot off course and watching my score go up again. “Or nine. Are you sure you want to keep playing?”

“Game doesn’t end until one hundred,” they replied. “Rules are rules, whatever you challenged.”

I ground my teeth at that, but refused a retort, as much as I wanted to. “Fine, this game ends now.” I had gotten enough of a feel for the ball now and whatever it was, it disturbed the air in its passage. I had everything I needed now. I stopped moving in what I thought was the center of the playing field.

“Are you giving up?” was the question.

“No,” I said. “But I don’t need to chase the ball down. I’m going to stand right here and win this game. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“We’ll see,” the ball fired off again and I redirected its passage using the air, throwing it back at the left side without moving from where I stood. It was deflected by the paddle and I moved it to breeze past me, then bent it away before the right paddle could block, throwing it back at the left side. 

“You know,” I finally said after a while as my score drew closer to one hundred. “This is getting embarrassing. You haven’t managed a single point and I’m five from winning. I suggest giving up now.”

“One hundred points!” was the strangled reply.

I shrugged. “Done.” The next shot I stopped drove my score over to one hundred. 

“You cheated!” was the immediate accusation.

“No,” I said. “If I had cheated, then I would have done this.” I tapped the sphere and it split down the middle, the substance dispersing into the air and revealing two female forms that slumped before me. Neither was moving, but from the light that I did have, I could make out the rise and fall of their chests. 

“If they’re hurt,” I said aloud.

“They aren’t,” they said overhead. “But you totally cheated there, using your power to shut us down for the last half. So, penalty!” There was a series of pops and detonations and lights abruptly came on. I blinked at the objects falling around me even as my power diverted the bits of material away. Confetti?

I looked up and saw a giant You win! poster hanging from the ceiling just as the same dizzying jerk occurred and the sidewalk we had been standing on before returned. Well, I was standing. Victoria and Amy were unconscious or asleep, and covered in confetti.

As I knelt to check on them, I shook my head at the stupidity I had just participated in, considering Uber and Leet’s actions in the past. I pulled out my phone to make a call as I promised myself to think about this some more. 

* * *

“They’re both alright,” Colin carried word to me as I stood in the hospital. “As best as we can tell, the field induced some sort of stasis around them so they weren’t in any real danger. They were inside, but suspended from being affected by what the ball was doing.”

“That sounds weird,” I remarked while nodding. It fit with what I had figured out of the ball. “Any sign of those two idiots?”

He shook his head. “We’re not even sure where it was you were transported to. I’m trying to get something up that will let me backtrace it, but I don’t think I’ll have it finished before the trail goes cold. They’ll resurface with some other stupid antics, I’m sure, though.”

“Why me, though?” I wondered.

He hesitated. “My best guess is they wanted to cash in on your popularity. The videos that are out about you have gotten a lot of attention. Featuring you would let them ride that wave.”

“Stupid,” I shook my head. “Well, I need to get going.”

“Amy is awake,” he remarked as I started to turn.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll check on her before I leave.”

Finding her room took only a moment and I knocked, entering when I heard her soft invitation. “Hi.”

“Oh, Taylor, hi,” she replied.

“Just wanted to check and make sure you were alright,” I said, moving to sit at her bedside. “They letting you out soon?”

She nodded. “They’re wanting me to stare overnight, for observation. I don’t think it’s necessary, but they want to make sure there’s no odd side-effects from whatever they used to put us out.” She made a face. “It’s weird to be on this side of things.”

“In the hospital bed, you mean?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Amy nodded. “I’m usually doing the healing. Not sure what to do with myself right now.”

“Take a break,” I suggested. “You shouldn’t overwork yourself. The doctors say you should rest, then rest. They’ll get by for a bit without you.”

“But I can help them,” she said. “Is it right that I’m not doing that when I can?”

I felt uncomfortable as I considered the question. It hit close to things I had been worrying over lately. “Amy. I don’t have all the answers, but you have to do something for yourself too. Taking time to make sure Amy is ok is as important as making sure everyone else is.”

She looked lost at my words and I reached over to give her hand a squeeze, wondering how I had ended up offering emotional support. “Look, get some rest. Think about what I said. I know you want to help others, but if you’re thinking of running off to heal people when you’ve been told to rest, then I think you might be pushing yourself too hard. And for what?”

Amy looked away. “You don’t understand.”

“Maybe I don’t,” I said. “I don’t have your powers. Mine don’t lend themselves to doing anything in the way of healing, really. But seriously, get some rest and think about it, alright?” She bit her lip and nodded as I stood. Her hand clung to mine for a moment and I glanced at her.

“Taylor?” she said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said before leaving Amy Dallon to her thoughts.

* * *

My walk home was slow as I thought about today. Uber and Leet. A pair of villains who did things on a video game theme. They were not particularly nice about their actions either. I recalled something about them re-enacting a Grand Theft Auto game complete with beating up prostitutes. And the stunt today. Endangering, or making me think they had endangered, Amy and Victoria, so they could get me to play a stupid game and make money off their youtube channel or something.

Amy Dallon, Panacea, who, despite being told to rest, wanted to go help others with her powers. I didn’t know why she did, but did wanting to give her time and effort make her a hero? I thought of her sister and her disregard for anything that was counter to what she wanted and compared the two. 

I thought of my own actions, of stopping Leviathan, of killing Coil and his men. 

I was back at the hotel before I knew it, and I had no more answers than when I had started out. 

Dad looked alarmed, his face lined with worry, as I came in. I let him hug me, my thoughts still running full-tilt.

Sleep was no more restful tonight than it had been any of the other nights lately. 

\--


	42. Chapter 42

I approached Arcadia with one eye at the sky overhead. It had been sunny when we left, but now threatened rain and Dinah did not have an umbrella. I estimated the amount of time remaining and decided we should be fine. 

“Hey, Taylor!” someone called out. I turned my head, blinking at the unfamiliar voice. “Awesome video on the ‘net! Very cool.” The speaker, a male my age that I didn’t know, gave me a thumbs up before being distracted by his friends. 

“Who was that?” Dinah asked.

I shrugged. “No idea.” I thought about what he had said about a video as we kept walking. More of Coil’s final fuck you? Something I hadn’t thought of? No, he seemed too enthusiastic about whatever he had seen. Maybe the PRT with some sort of additional campaign to flatter me? 

 

My questions were answered as we separated to our parts of the school and I went to my locker. There, held up by a crude taping job was a printed announcement

“Congratulations for winning the Uber & Leet Annual Pong Challenge! Three cheers for Taylor ‘Pong Queen’ Hebert. Congratulations also for winning by scoring with two girls.” I read aloud. “Pong Queen? Score with two girls? What the hell?” I ripped the paper down with a scowl and jerked the locker open harder than necessary. There was a loud honk and confetti burst out, scattering all around me as my field automatically countered it.

“I should have just brought the roof down on those two idiots,” I muttered to myself as I shook my books free of the bits of paper. 

“Taylor!” I heard Victoria’s voice call out as I closed the locker. She rushed up, again with her sister in tow.

“Oh, hi,” I said absently, then peered at her. “You both have confetti in your hair.”

Victoria’s scowl was thunderous. “And you don’t. But I see your locker was set up as well.”

“You got one too?” I blinked. “Congratulations for what?”

Her scowl grew. “When I find those two idiots …” She thrust out a paper similar to what I had torn down and I smoothed it out, then read aloud. 

“Congratulations to Victoria Dallon, the awe-inspiring Glory Girl, for gaining an entry in the Book of World Records as half of the world’s first human ping pong ball and being used to score one hundred points” I read, feeling my lips twitch a bit. Victoria noticed and scowled further.

“It isn’t funny,” she groused.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “You’re right. And Amy got one too?” I looked past Victoria to where Amy shuffled nervously.

“Oh, yeah, here,” Victoria said, snatching the paper she had handed me back, grabbing the one Amy held and shoving it into my hands. I raised an eyebrow at the abruptness of the action, then looked at the paper.

“To the lovely Amy Dallon, our tireless healer without peer,” I read. “Our apologies for involving you in our little game. We trust that you suffered no injuries and have taken the liberty of forwarding a portion of our donations in your name to be used as you see fit.”

“So, we get congratulations and Ames gets money and apologies?” Victoria said, her voice raising. “I swear when I find them, I will-”

“Ignore them, they’re idiots,” I interrupted. “And anyway, you two are fine, right? It was annoying, but no one got hurt, so that’s something at least.”

“What’d yours say?” She asked and snatched the crumpled paper from me.

 

“Just trash it,” I said, grimacing as she ignored me and unfolded it, her eyes skimming the words. I saw her forehead knit together and sighed, adjusting my field to account for the sudden spike of sound I was expecting.

“Score with two girls!” she shrieked. “How dare they say that we.. and you .. that we’re lesbians!”

I raised an eyebrow, noticing Amy shift for a moment. “It’s stupid, but they’re just being cute with wording. Ignore it.” I shifted my books. “Classes?”

“Oh, right,” she said, her ire fading as she blinked at me. “Wait, why aren’t you bothered by it?”

I shrugged as we went down toward our first class. “They’re idiots, like I said. And anyway, it’s just being cute with wording and knowing people will react that way. I mean, strictly speaking, I did win the game by scoring with you two.”

Silence. I felt a sinking dread in my stomach as I turned my attention from Victoria. We had entered the classroom as I said those last words and everyone there was staring at the three of us.

“Right,” I muttered, feeling my cheeks heat as I saw the looks we were getting. “Bringing the roof down on those idiots is too good for them.”

* * *

Despite the fact that I could avoid hearing anything I didn’t want to by using my powers, it didn’t offer me much in the way of protection from people staring. And there was a lot of that now. The corner table I had taken as my own for lunch time had been taken over by Hurricane Victoria and friends.

A red-headed male joined the increasingly cramped table, his eyes alight with mischief. “So, Vicky, you, Amy and Taylor here?”

“Shut up, Dennis,” she said absently between breaths, more focused on her boyfriend, Dean. The same Dean who had approached me that first day. I turned my attention away from them and the uncomfortable scene of their self-involvement. 

“Geez, get a room already,” Dennis retorted. “We’ll have the staff over if you two keep it up.” I shook my head as the pair reluctantly disengaged, returning to their separate seats. Conversation continued and I felt the stares ease as people lost interest in our, or my, activities. 

“So, Taylor,” Carlos, one of Dean’s friends, said, drawing my attention. “What do you plan to do with your powers?”

“Not sure,” I shrugged between bites of food. “I have a few possibilities, but I’m still trying to decide.”

“Joining the Wards?” Dennis asked.

I shook my head. “At the moment, no. I did some research and it seems like it would limit me more than anything.”

“Limit you?” Carlos asked. “How d’you mean?”

I shifted in my seat. “I’ll use something recent as an example. Coil.” Silence dropped on the table and I continued, tuning out the fact that I was the focus of everyone. “He worked with the PRT and Protectorate when not wearing a mask, using that to gain inside information, all so he could kidnap a girl for her power and who knows what else. Stopping him was necessary, and I don’t know that it would be looked well upon for a Ward to take action that way.”

“And taking the law into your own hands is?” Dean asked, leaning forward to show his interest. “Do you think it paints a better picture to be someone who just does whatever they want or feel is right?”

The image of Coil’s head exploding from my attack came to the forefront of my mind. I shook my head to try and banish the image. “I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve seen enough to know the Wards and Protectorate have to operate in guidelines. There’s no telling what would have happened in that scenario. I think having my hands tied by a certain expected behavior is more problematic than anything Coil threw at me.”

“You’re not bothered by what you did?” Dean pressed. I noticed that the others were silent, observing the discussion between us. “That you killed all those people?”

“Should I be?” I asked, even though I was. “I don’t think so. He was trash and he was never going to stop. The fact that I killed him and his men doesn’t keep me awake at night, no.” I kept myself impassive as much as I could. 

“There were other ways,” Dean began.

“Like what?” I cut him off. “Arresting him? I took him and his flunkies down in our first meeting, though that was probably a body double, since Calvert was prancing about in front of us afterward. They got away before ever reaching jail. He wasn’t going to stay in captivity. What other answer was there?”

“He could have been held. There’s the Birdcage,” Dean countered. “When were you given the authority to decide his fate?”

I bristled. “When he blew up my house while I was inside it to try and kill me? Or when he killed a girl’s parents while trying to kidnap her? Maybe when he put three people in the hospital when he managed to kidnap her? There clearly wasn’t anyone stopping him then, was there?”

“Easy, guys,” Dennis interjected. “We’re just having a discussion, right? No need for tempers.”

“I’m not angry,” I said. “But someone who hasn’t been where I was can’t sit in judgement. What was there that could have been done differently?”

“I would have taken him in to custody,” Dean told me. “There are ways to ensure he stays where we put him.”

“There are,” I said, ignoring the flash of memory of his face before my attack hit. “And I did. He won’t be coming back from where I put him.”

“And again, why doesn’t it bother you that you killed him?” he asked.

I dropped my fork onto the plate and began gathering my trash. “I’m done. It was nice talking to all of you.” The image of Coil’s head exploding flashed to my mind again and I felt my stomach twist unpleasantly. I heard people calling my name but ignored them in my desire to be away from there.

* * *

The roof of Arcadia afforded me a stunning view of the bay from Arcadia’s position on a hill and I stood there. I would probably hear complaints about skipping classes, but I couldn’t bring myself to care at that particular moment. 

Coil.

I had been so sure of myself then. I saved Dinah, and that was what mattered. Dean’s questions, combined with my restless nights lately, made me wonder if killing him had been the right thing to do. Did I really have the right to decide someone’s life or death just because I had more power than they did?

I didn’t know and the not knowing bothered me. I needed to talk to someone about this. But who? Was there anyone who had the same circumstances as I that I could reach easily?

I leaned on the edge of the building, letting the wind ruffle my hair as I thought over that dilemma. 

“Taylor?” I turned my head slightly, seeing Carlos standing at the opening to the stairway.

“‘lo, Carlos,” I said, turning back to look at the skyline. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, walking over to stand beside me at the edge. 

I shrugged. “Probably not.”

“Anything I can do to help? Listen? Anything?” he asked.

“Not really,” I said, glancing sidelong at him. “Just unhappy thoughts from recent things.”

“I want to apologize for Dean,” he told me, resting his elbows on the side of the building. “He feels pretty strongly about right and wrong. Not excusing him, mind, he was out of line, but I hope it explains at least.”

“Unneccesary, but accepted,” I waved a hand. “It isn’t something that he caused. Having issues dealing with things, is all.”

“Well, I wanted to be sure you were alright,” he said. “You looked upset when you left.”

“Appreciated,” I said quietly. “All this stuff lately is a bit overwhelming. The way some have been acting today hasn’t helped.”

“I’m an ear, if you want,” he said, turning halfway to face me. “I’m a good listener, if nothing else. And anything you tell me is kept in confidence, I promise”

I considered his offer and then nodded slowly. “Well, it starts with Coil, I guess.” I shifted against the edge of the building and kept talking, while the wind whipped around us.

\--


	43. Chapter 43

Armsmaster looked up from what he had been working on when the door to his lab slid open. He sat down his tools and wiped his hands off as he saw who it was. 

“Well?” he asked.

Aegis stepped further into the room, then selected a stool. “Well, I got to talk to her. Not for the reasons I had intended, though.”

An eyebrow went up. “Explain.”

“We got everyone together for lunch,” Aegis said, stripping off his mask and grimacing. “And it went downhill from there. Discussion shifted toward what she might do with her powers, and then to whether she had thought of joining the Wards. She said not at the moment. Dean pressed pretty hard about the Coil thing. Upset her a fair bit.”

He settled his hands flat on the table. “Upset her? Explain.”

Carlos ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, hell, he fixated on her taking the law into her hands, basically. And that she killed a lot of people and apparently isn’t bothered by doing it.”

“Did he not understand how stupid that was?”

“Probably not,” Carlos snorted. “But his fixation on being the Hero and expecting everyone to abide by the same standards he believes in likely blinded him to it.”

Armsmaster took a deep breath. “And Taylor?”

“Not interested in joining the Wards at the moment, as I said. And she’s covering it well, but we talked and the Coil thing is bothering her more than she’s letting on.” He ran a hand through his hair again. “There’s more to it than that, I think, but she didn’t open too much more beyond her discontent with Coil.”

He nodded after a moment. “Keep working to get her to open up. And let Gallant know he’s getting scut-work for a month.”

“Understood,” Carlos replied, then hesitated. “Can I ask something?”

Armsmaster resisted the urge to respond with a wise-ass remark. “Go ahead.”

“Why the orders to befriend her?” Carlos asked. “I mean, she’s nice from what I’ve had the opportunity to determine so far, but …”

Colin was silent for a moment as he considered his response. “There are concerns about her state of mind given recent events and experiences prior to that. It was suggested that developing proper social contact would be good for her.”

There were moments that Colin cursed how perceptive the Wards’ leader could be. Sometimes, he wondered who the real empath of the group was, given how insightful the young man could be. This was one of those times. Carlos’ face paled as he came to a conclusion from what he had just been told. “They’re afraid of her.”

“Cautious,” he corrected, mentally wincing. “Not unwarranted. Her power gives the potential for her to completely any consequences of her actions. If she were to break, or go bad on us, the damage could be devastating. I suggested fostering positive social interaction as a means of reducing such a possibility.”

Carlos absorbed this and nodded. “Understood. Thank you, sir.” He left without another word and Colin sat in the dim workshop for a moment, staring at the door.

“System,” he said finally. “Access file a two two three l.” Screens appeared in the air above his workspace, revealing a multitude of data. His eyes darted across the readings, information collected from his suit during his first encounter with Taylor. Other data was there too. Her fight with Leviathan had almost been out of his range, but there was a fair bit there. Including one rather dense chunk that indicated when she had twisted Eidolon and Legend’s attacks together.

There, the recording from the post Endbringer account, documenting every word she said, including the complicated mathematical equations she had rattled off near the end. Following that, more comprehensive readings of the lesser version of the attack she had used against Leviathan. 

He turned his eyes to the math. His own knowledge of higher math was nowhere near complete enough to understand what he was seeing. But he had other resources. He copied that section and sent it on to the appropriate people.

“System, open a new file, titled Excalibur,” he instructed. “To be stored on my private server.” That would insure only two people could access it. A pinging sound informed him that it was done and he turned his eyes to the mass of data from A two two three L and began to work.

* * *

I stood outside the parking lot, grimacing to myself. Why had I agreed to come out here again? Because of a note left behind in my locker, requesting a meeting?

“I am so getting yelled at,” I said to myself. Even if I had nothing to worry about, I was willing to bet the people I had slipped away from would be unhappy about my running off alone. But I was curious about what they wanted, so here I was.

At the moment the clock turned over from three fifty nine to four, the one who had invited me arrived, flanked by two women. Victor. Othala. Rune.

“Your message was polite, at least,” I told him. “But I’d appreciate it if if my locker were left alone.”

Victor nodded. “A reasonable request, and one we are glad to accomodate.”

“Now, what do you want?” I asked bluntly.

“To talk,” he murmured, “and to determine if our detente remains in effect.”

I stared at him for a moment, then turned to Othala. “I want to thank you again for healing me.” She inclined her head, but said nothing. Was Victor taking the lead, then? I turned my attention back to him. “You know that the Empire Eighty-Eight don’t exactly support anything I believe in, right?”

He nodded. “Differences are expected, but we have taken no actions against you and you none against us. We would like that state of affairs to continue. In fact …”

“In fact?” I asked, picking up the text as he trailed off.

“I would like to extend an invitation to you to meet with someone,” he said, holding up a hand. “An invitation only, mind. He has been intrigued by your exploits and would like to meet with you.”

“You’re talking about Kaiser, your boss,” I said.

“Perceptive,” Victor said, nodding. “You are correct. If you will consent, there is a place prepared for the meeting, in the ship graveyard.”

“And if I refuse?” I asked. “The last time your group approached me to meet with someone, they attacked me when I told them no.”

“You are free to refuse. As with our prior meeting, we are talking, only.” Victor said. “I would convey his disappointment should you do so. Violence is not on our agenda at this time.”

I considered, noting his wording. “At this time?”

“Nor do we wish for it in the future,” he said smoothly. “But one cannot know what the future holds, no?”

I weighed his words, then took a deep breath. I was really going to get yelled at, I know it. But I could at least hear his boss out, since they did heal me before Leviathan. “You said the ship graveyard?”

Victor smiled a little and it was not at all reassuring.

* * *

The knock came just after he had tilted his chair back and had managed to get comfortable. His forehead furrowed and he opened his eyes, staring at the door.

“What.” he said, his voice a rumbling growl. Silence, then a hesitant voice. 

“You asked us to keep an eye out on the Eighty-eight trash,” was the reply. “Couple of them were on the move. Meeting with a girl. That girl.”

He opened his eyes. “Where?”

“They were headed out to the ship graveyard.” was the reply. “And word is that Kaiser is going out for a meeting as well.”

“You have someone following?” 

“At a distance, yes. He’s checking in every five minutes or so.”

“Good,” he settled his hands on the armrests of his chair, then pushed the footrest down with his feet alone. He came to stand in one smooth motion. Leviathan had been driven away. And now, after meeting with the nazi trash in the past, she was meeting them again. 

It was time he took matters into his own hands. Past time. The raid on one of his lieutenant’s places, the interference with Oni Lee’s fight. Her budding association with the Eighty-Eight. These things could not be left unaddressed.

He paid no mind to the hireling that scrambled out of the way as he flung the door open. He had places to be. And to meet her, something he had been anticipating for weeks.

* * *

By the time that we got out to the derelict ship, the sun was beginning to set. I stared at the hull before me. As ships out here went, it seemed to be more intact than most. I wondered if it was used for anything, then shook the question away. It obviously was, if Kaiser held meetings out here.

It certainly wasn’t the most welcoming area, I had to admit. The metal was stained and splotchy with patches of rust. The small boat we were in drew up to a hatch that, ordinarily, would only be visible if the ship were pulled out, but the tilt of the vessel allowed access. Victor pulled it open to a discordant shriek of protesting hinges, then accepted a lantern from Othala.

“This way,” he said, holding the light up. I thought about mentioning that I didn’t need it, but decided that was likely not true for everyone else present. Othala and Rune went in ahead of me and I accepted a hand up, adjusting the light quantity to the optimal amount for clear sight. 

The inside had been heavily remodeled, I found. Instead of downward tilted floors, they had clearly been redone. Walls and floors had been cut away and lead upward. Somewhere toward the top, I could see what looked like the sliver of light from a door partially open. 

The trip up that incline was made in silence until we reached the doorway. Victor bowed and held the door open. Rune and Othala took up positions on either side of the door. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, my stomach doing flip-flops. A debt of gratitude over their healing me had brought me here, but now, I felt really stupid. I was meeting the leader of the Empire Eighty-Eight. 

Kaiser was seated at a desk, his armor glistening and the two amazons that served as his bodyguards at behind and to either side. I glanced at them briefly, then at the man himself. He held himself with a certainty and confidence and though I couldn’t get much of a reading from his body language, I could tell he seemed very pleased at my presence.

“Well,” I said. “You asked me here. And here I am.”

“Indeed,” he said in a pleasant tenor voice. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting with y-”

The wall to my left exploded, flames roaring toward us. I countered immediately, dispersing the heat away and funneling air in to replace what the fire had consumed. Something crashed to the ground near me and I caught my field before it flung it away, realising that it was a person.

Hookwolf. His mass of blades broken. I thought I saw blood in there somewhere. Shouts were ringing out and then there was a massive crashing and the wall behind me exploded inward as well. Two thumps sounded, followed by a man’s furious shout. 

I got the fire under control and saw what the other two sounds had been. Rune. Othala. Both scorched and bloody, unmoving. Victor looked little better, but was moving. Behind me, as I had turned, Kaiser and his bodyguards were positioned for combat.

And there, half crouched in a hole that he had apparently torn in the metal, a hunched over form that was vaguely reptilian, silver scales covering parts of his body.

Lung.

“I confess, this was none of my doing,” Kaiser was saying.

I looked down at the unmoving forms of Rune and Othala. Were they alive? I couldn’t tell. My gaze slowly tracked from them, to Hookwolf, who was also unmoving. Then down the hall, to where the ABB’s leader stood. There was someone in one of his hands, I saw, weakly struggling. A figure I recognized from one of my early meetings with the E88. 

Cricket.

Lung’s eyes were fixed on me as I traced my gaze upward until our eyes met. The look there told me everything. He had come here for me. Hurt, maybe killed, to get at me.

I didn’t care about Nazi beliefs. I found them disgusting, honestly. But even so, they didn’t deserve this. Not just to get at me.

“Take your people and go,” I said, taking a step forward. “Get them help. You don’t want to stay here.”

“We have an accord and I cannot allow this sort of attack on my people to-” Kaiser began.

“What part of get the hell out is unclear?” I snapped. “You’ll only be in the way. You can’t help me with this. You can help them. Go.” 

I moved forward, ignoring them. “Why would you do this? Hurt them?”

He snarled something that I couldn’t make sense of. The words distorted by the way his jaw had changed. The hand that held Cricket flexed and she whimpered. 

Air snapped out, my imitation of Stormtiger’s powers. It sliced through his arm just below the elbow. A second burst slammed into him with concussive force sending him tumbling away as she dropped to the floor. Crashing echoed through the hall as he slammed through several walls and out of sight.

“She’s still alive,” I said over my shoulder as I kept walking, feeling the ship shudder from the impacts. I heard them scrambling to where Cricket lay. My focus was only on what I knew was coming. Thunderous impacts sounded all around me, the ship shuddering even more as Lung tore through it.

The ceiling parted above me and flames spilled down. I diverted them in a funnel without even blinking, then they rolled back the way they had came. I saw Lung’s eyes as the flames sizzled off him. More scales were appearing. I ran what I knew of him through my mind. Gets stronger the longer he fights? Regeneration? Pyrokinesis. 

I could see where I had cut his arm off was already growing back. So, Regeneration for sure. And pyrokinesis. The other. Well, best not to let him get going.

I tapped the wall to my right. Metal shrieked, rebars tearing free and rocketing at Lung. They pierced through his torso, staggering him. He roared and reached one hand up, twisting at them. I uprooted more, driving them through him and into the wall. He struggled, but I kept firing until I had no in easy reach. The walls around me had gaping holes in them from what I had done.

Lung resembled a pincushion, the lengths of metal piercing every part of his body but his head. 

I thought of the people I had seen hurt by him. I didn’t care about most of them. But they didn’t deserve that. And Othala had healed me. Now I wasn’t sure she was even alive now.

I bent down, shearing off a stub of rebar in one hand before straightening. I stared at Lung, who was eyeing me with hate in his eyes as he struggled weakly. 

“Why do this?” I asked again, hoping for a coherent answer. “Why?”

He made a sound. I couldn’t understand what it was at first, but the steady repeating became clear as it grew stronger, his voice more confident.

Laughter. He was laughing. He had hurt people. Maybe killed them. And he was laughing about it.

The length of rebar came up and I sighted on him, my thumb resting against one end of it. Electricity sparked over the metal.

Coil’s face came to mind, the similarity to that moment striking me. The look in his eyes before his head exploded. And then, I heard a voice from an argument a few days ago in my thoughts.

“When were you given the authority to decide his fate?”

The rebar seared through the air, tearing through a section of the wall to the right of Lung’s head.

The laughter cut off for a long moment as I stood there, staring at the hole. I had missed.

No.

I had tilted the shot away deliberately. Why? To take him into custody? Could they even hold him?

Fire exploded from Lung, enveloping him completely. The wall he was pinned to was visibly melting and I saw movement in the flames. Moving, shifting. Regenerating.

An enormous fireball ripped through the roof above us, then another below, and his figure dropped out of my immediate sight. I could still hear him though, he had grown enough that his tearing through the structure wasn’t subtle at all.

I swore at myself. He wasn’t going to come at me directly now. He’d tried that. He’d go for ambushes now. Try to bring the ship down around me. It wouldn’t work, but he didn’t know that.

But I wasn’t going to play hide and seek.

I hoped that Kaiser had gotten his people away as I bent down, touching the floor with both hands. I took a deep breath, then pressed my hands into the metal. It crumpled beneath my fingers and then I pulled them in opposite directions.

There was a terrible shriek as the surface split, tearing in either direction as I magnified the force and motion. The shrieking grew louder as the ship rent asunder, starlight spilling down onto me as the sky was revealed. I twisted the air, suspending myself as I continued my motion until my arms were stretched as far in either direction as I could. 

There, tumbling downward, was Lung. I released the pieces of the ship I had been holding, then tapped a section of the flooring before it pulled out of reach.

Rebars rocketed down at Lung once more, destabilising his descent further. He careened wildly, bouncing from side to side as I continued my rain of impromptu spears.

He crashed into the water below with a splash and I stared at the spot he had gone down in, looking for any sign of where he would surface. 

Lung broke the surface with another roar. wings visible on his back now. Fire wreathed out as soon as he emerged and I saw the flames begin to lick and spread across the surface of the Bay. Garbage? There was a fair amount of it in the harbor, I knew.

My eyes spotted the rainbow shimmer and I swore. Gasoline. Some sort of tank had been punctured and leaked out?

Lung took flight, a blazing comet that rocketed toward me and I focused my attention on that. Deal with him first, then contain that. 

A searing fireball shot toward me, glowing white and I caught it, noting the composition. The color meant high temperature, I recalled. I fired it back and he swerved out of the way. The fireball kept going, slamming into wrecked parts of the ship even as Lung began throwing more, arcing away from me as he did so. 

I deflected them, trying to funnel them all back at him, but he kept moving and many of them crashed into the wrecked ships around us. Lung swooped low, tearing away parts of other ships that were above the waterline, throwing them at me.

“Stupid,” I said to myself as I reflected them back, unsure whether I was referring to him or me. He had enough control of his flight that I didn’t think I could catch him in with a tornado. He was quick and the heat he was generating was playing hell with the air currents. 

I kept my defense, launching attacks back at him as I considered how to take him down. The fireballs were growing brighter with each volley and I saw a lot of the metal below starting to sag. He was letting off some sort of heat too, superheating the area around him. And below, the flames continued to spread across the bay.

How did I stop this? I thought of what I had in my arsenal. I had a way. I just had to hit him with it.

I watched a fireball he had thrown soar off and frowned. What the hell was he aiming at?

Then I saw it slam into a building on the bay and ignite. More followed and I realized his goal. He was setting the docks on fire.

Dad. Was he still at work out there somewhere?

Air slammed into Lung, sending him pinwheeling through the air. He righted himself quickly, turning to face me.

“Fine,” I said, amplifying my voice over the sounds of fire and collapsing metal around us. “I guess you wanted a fight with me. But that isn’t what you’re going to get.”

His head moved in that motion that I knew now was laughter. His jaw moved in what I assumed was a questioning taunt.

“You’re just going to die.” I answered. Then, I attacked.

* * *

The alarms jerked him from his work and he closed the file immediately even as Dragon’s face appeared on one of his screens. “Colin. The Protectorate are already mobilising. The ship graveyard is being torn apart.”

“By?” he asked, moving to a cylinder where his gear was and beginning to suit up. 

“Lung, judging from what information I have. One of the ship’s fuel tanks have ruptured and the flames have ignited it across the water,” she told him. 

“Others?”

“Report of Kaiser and others of the Empire Eighty-Eight fleeing the area, but I don’t have visual confirmation of that. I’ve dispatched some fast response units and they should be there in ten minutes. The E88 do not appear to be involved in the conflict though.”

He felt cold suddenly. “Who’s he fighting then?”

“Trying to find a camera on the docks with sufficient range,” she said, her voice distracted. “Ah, here. Image should be coming through now.”

He turned his head to look while snapping on his gear, watching the grainy picture. There was Lung’s transformed state and a tiny figure hanging in the air somehow. It was hard to make any details out, but the shape was familiar enough.

“Taylor,” he breathed, then quickened his pace. “Pass on to have everyone moving now. Inform the Wards. Volunteer only. If he hasn’t been put down yet, it’s only going to get worse.” He paused. “No. Not volunteer. Have them tasked with clearing out the docks in case it spills over from the graveyard.”

“Fire has already started on some of the warehouses,” Dragon said and he swore. “Fire that he’s throwing around is going wild if not aimed at Taylor.”

“I’m going,” he said, pulling on more of his gear as he started toward the door. “I’ll see you in ten.”

“Five,” she corrected. “I’m pushing them as hard as I can.” He nodded and reached into a locker that opened at his touch, drawing out his halberd as her screen went dark. He left the room without a backward look, the cold dread in his stomach growing.

He hoped that they could get there and bring this to an end before it got worse.

\--


	44. Chapter 44

I couldn’t stop him. 

The thought crossed my mind as I glanced at the wreckage of the boat graveyard. It was a slagged ruin now, debris scattered across the water, most of it glowing so brightly that it seared the water into steam. Everything I had tried, he had regenerated the damage in seconds. I’d thrown several of the attacks I had used against Leviathan and whatever that was in Coil’s basement and he’d evaded all of them. 

Every second, our battle drew closer to shore. There were fires raging all around, ignited from fireballs he had thrown. I didn’t know if anyone had arrived yet. And even if they had, the amount of heat that Lung was putting out would keep them away. 

This was my fault. I could have ended it earlier. All my fault. I couldn’t make that mistake again. I had to stop him. 

I just didn’t know how.

Lung banked away from another volley of fire that I returned to him, his angle making it clear that he was heading for the dock. I twisted the air and sent him spinning, but fire flared around and behind him, propelling him further along.

Since he’d grown wings, he had been trying to move closer to the docks and I had been trying to stop him. Why? To do more damage? I didn’t understand what his goal was.

I dropped to the surface of the water, launching pieces of debris upward at him. My eyes traced the angle he was moving at toward the docks. Adjustments of my power meant I had no hindrance in sight and I felt my heart seize at the squat building lying low against the edge. 

Dad.

The Dock Worker’s Association had an office here. Dad had mentioned having to do something there earlier in the day, hadn’t he? Was he still there?

Cold flooded my veins as realization set in. There had been plenty of information about me out in public. Including my dad’s name. Did Lung know he worked there? Was that why he was headed in that direction.

No.

I had to stop that. I used the air and shot upward again, buffeting Lung with wind to slow him down. Time to see just how much wind he could deal with.

The wind below him slowed down while the air above accelerated. I twisted it together and abruptly, Lung was caught in a tornado, wind battering him mercilessly. Debris was caught, drawing it upward and I directed it, slamming into him to add to the disorientation he was probably experiencing. His rage echoed from the cone and I saw bursts of flame fly off in random directions, their color passing beyond white. 

With him caught, I readied my attack. The same one I had used against Leviathan. It steadied in my hand and I sighted at Lung. I wouldn’t miss this time.

I threw it.

* * *

Armsmaster was off his bike as soon as he reached the docks. Others were gathered already, Miss Militia coordinating the scene. 

“Situation?” he asked tersely.

“Lung’s trying to draw closer to the docks, and she’s been trying to keep him away. With some success, but he’s still coming closer,” his lieutenant told him. “We can’t approach any further. The heat he’s giving off has already hit levels beyond anyone we have being able to deal with.”

“Dragon?” he said.

“I sent test units, but we’re looking at temperatures in excess of two thousand celsius. That was what I recorded before it was lost.”

“Shit,” he said under his breath. “Alright. Deploy. Get anyone and everyone that might be working away from the docks. They should be relatively empty, but check for squatters.” A list of businesses along the docks ran down his display screen. 

“Velocity,” he said, his eyes noticing one of the locations. “Go to the Dock Worker’s Association. They have an office seven blocks away. If Danny Hebert is there, get him away from here.”

“Sir?” 

“I want him out of the line of fire as quickly as possible,” he said. “The last thing I want is their fight to have him as a casualty. Do we want someone who is going against Lung and has faced an Endbringer to go off because her dad was killed during a fight she was part of?”

Velocity stiffened and nodded, racing away. That concern eased somewhat, he turned his attention toward the fight over the water, watching as water was caught up in a tornado, of all things. Lung spun within it and he saw Taylor throw something at him. The attack she had used against Leviathan?

The space over the bay erupted in a thunderous explosion and he squeezed his eyes shut with a hiss at the sudden influx of light. Blinking back tears, he scanned the horizon, seeing Lung’s fire-wreathed form falling in one direction and what he thought was Taylor’s in another. What the hell had just happened?

* * *

Up was down and left was right. He couldn’t get his bearings. The stupid girl had caught him in some absurd trick and hammered him with objects. The pains were nothing. He healed as soon as they occurred. 

This was unacceptable. The stupid girl was barely more than a twig. Yet he couldn’t hurt her. She turned his attacks back at him. The entire time, she had been showing as much emotion as he would to crushing a bug. 

It was wrong. He was the strongest. She should be at his mercy. Not this twisting trap she held him in now. Her image flashed past repeatedly, glimpsed for only a second as he spun. Was something forming in her hand?

It hit him. That was what she had used against Leviathan. It was aimed at him. It would kill him if it hit, he suddenly knew. 

No. This was wrong. He was the strongest. He was Lung. And he would not die to a stupid girl!

He roared and fire answered.

* * *

The moment seemed to stretch out as the sphere left my hand. It hung in the air between us and I saw Lung’s momentum turn him to face me.

His roar was loud enough that it felt like a physical blow as a bar of something erupted from his mouth. It slammed into my attack and I had only a moment to prepare a defense as the sphere destabilized and exploded.

Then I was falling. 

I caught myself even as I plowed into the ground, my shield compensating to avoid any injury, despite the furrow I had torn up. My ears rang and I forced myself into a kneeling position. What had happened? Somewhere nearby, the sound muted, I heard what I thought was Lung. Was he moving again? 

I couldn’t stop him. 

The thought hit my mind again as I knelt there, my hair shrouding my face. He just kept getting stronger and now he had a counter to my strongest attack. What could I do? 

The sound of him coming closer grew louder, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t stop him. I didn’t have a way to stop him.

You can do more, Taylor.

The thought flitted across my mind and I traced its source. Something Lisa had said? For a moment, the rubble strewn furrow I knelt in seemed to fall away, replaced by patterns of black and gold. I hung there, lost in thought as streamers of what I thought was blonde hair crossed my vision. 

Yes. Something Lisa had said. I could almost see her as I thought of it. A conversation we had where she’d said a lot about my powers. I had been skeptical, but now, hanging in that void as I tried to find an answer, I saw her hanging before me. 

Nothing can stop you, if you just reach for it. I heard her voice again, overlaid by an odd echo. Something wrong with how it sounded that I couldn’t place.

The fugue ripped away and I saw reptilian feet crash to the ground before me. Oh. Right. Lung. Why had I been imagining Lisa when I had this to deal with?

Lung snarled something that I couldn’t understand, but I didn’t look up. The numbers shifted and changed and I drew in a breath, slow and measured. Inhale. The flames around us roared brighter. Exhale. They banked. Inhale, they grew stronger. Exhale, weaker, moving in time with my breaths. 

Another snarled sound from Lung and then I felt the air disturbed by his movement. I hadn’t looked up, but I could see what it was. The calculations told me everything I needed.

My hand rose slowly, palm out. Lung’s huge fist struck it. And stopped. I heard a sound from him, of confusion, then I curled my fingers slowly. They pierced through his fist like nothing. Fire roared up around him, and was bent away. It couldn’t hurt me.

Lung was growing louder as I felt him trying to wrench away, agitation clear. Inhale. Exhale. The flames continued to move in time with me. I shifted, looking up at Lung’s form before me through the curtain of my hair.

Then I drew one foot out from the kneeling position and settled it flat on the ground. More fire erupted from Lung, but I just twisted it away, shaping it into patterns above me. 

My other foot settled on the ground.

“This is my fault,” I said, lifting my head fully. My hair fell away from my face and I looked around at the devastation that had spread onto the docks. Buildings burning to either side of me. All because I hadn’t stopped Lung when I could have.

He snarled something, still trying to free himself from my grip. 

“This is my fault,” I repeated, raising my free hand and curling my fingers into a fist. Lung’s head reared back and another one of those bursts that had disrupted my attack shot out at me point blank.

It flared back into his face, repelled by my power. His roar now was one of pain, but I could see scales reappearing and skin returning as he regenerated. 

I drew my hand back even as the fire I had collected gathered in front of my fist, compressing and growing brighter. 

“My fault,” I said a final time as I slammed my arm forward. The fire preceded it, slamming into Lung, followed by my fist. I released his hand as I did so and the compressed ball of what could only be plasma now detonated against his torso.

Lung rocketed away from me, plowing into several walls and shredding them with his bulk. I followed and found him slumped amid a shattered storage shed. His torso was mostly crushed, ribs and organs exposed. Even as I stood there, he was healing, the damage starting to smooth away. He wasn’t moving yet, though.

I raised my arm, bringing the sphere into being again. Like before, Coil’s face appeared in my mind, followed by Dean’s words from the other day.

I didn’t miss this time.

* * *

Armsmaster found her standing near a broken section of the docks, her feet in the water.

“Taylor?” he said cautiously, scanning the area. “What happened to Lung?”

“He’s gone,” she said without turning around. “He won’t be doing anything like this again.”

He took a deep breath. “It wasn’t just him responsible for this, you know.”

“I know,” he blinked as she answered, her voice almost too soft to hear. “It’s my fault too. I could have stopped it earlier.”

“What happened?” he asked again. “I don’t know how we’ll spin this, Taylor. The docks are ruined from all the fire that got thrown about. Some places are so hot we can’t even get near them.”

“I know,” she said once more and he saw her taking measured breaths. He stopped what he had been about to ask, looking at her. What was she doing?

Fires burned nearby within the gutted shells of several buildings and he watched them rise and fall rhythmically. His eyes flipped back to Taylor in realization. They were moving in time with her breath. What the hell?

He dropped his feet to the water she stood in, seeing it ebbing and flowing in sync with her breath as well. 

“What are you-” he began as she raised her hands.

“You should probably have everyone get clear,” Taylor said. The water at her feet began to rise as she drew her arms back to her right in a sweeping motion. 

“Clear the area!” he snapped into his comm even as he started sprinting. The water rose higher, moving around her and onto the docks. Steam rose in many places as the waters extinguished the fires. 

Taylor held her stance for a moment, then drew her arms back, the waters of the bay flowing back into the harbor, leaving all the fires that had been set as just a memory. 

“Taylor,” he said as she dropped her arms and began walking toward him. He was aware of others arriving, media and his teammates. She stopped a few feet from him. “You know there will be issues from this.”

“I know,” she said, looking up at him. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I could have stopped it sooner. I’ve been trying to figure out what I, rather, who I am. I have an answer.”

“And it is?” he asked, almost afraid to hear what she was going to say. The air felt heavy and he knew this was important for some reason. He kept his focus on her, ignoring the flashes of cameras and questions being shouted past the cordon his teammates had established. Hannah moved up and just behind him at his right, as Taylor resumed speaking.

“This was a mistake,” she said. “One that I made. I don’t want to do that again. I want to help, to stop them before things like this happen. I want to be a hero.”

He relaxed a bit, then broke into a genuine smile. “I think we can work something out for that.” He offered his hand to her. She hesitated a moment, then took it. 

Armsmaster tensed as a report came across his earpiece. Taylor must have noticed as she quirked an eyebrow at him. “What is it?”

He took a deep breath. “Let me stress that we haven’t found any signs of bodies, so we don’t know anything for certain.”

Her color fled. “No.”

He pulled her closer gently. “We do know that the office was burnt, but Dragon’s had a unit going through the building. There’s no body that we’ve found yet, but he isn’t answering at the hotel or on the phone we provided him. We don’t know where he is at the moment.”

“I … “ Taylor trailed off. “I… have to go. He’s probably on his way home. He hates cellphones, likely doesn’t even have it turned on. After Mom …” she cut off, shaking her head. “I’ve got to go. I’ll come by tomorrow and we can do whatever we need.” She pulled away and he let her, watching her as she walked off, ignoring the questions shouted at her.

“You’re just going to let her go?” Hannah asked quietly.

“How do I stop her?” he replied. “If she wants to leave, we don’t have any way to keep her around yet.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s get as much cleaned up here as we can. I’ll look in on her. And have others check in too.” He sent off a text message before turning to begin organizing the clean-up and speak with the media, who were heading back toward his position.

* * *

Lily was waiting at the house, sitting on the porch with Dinah beside her, when I arrived. I climbed the steps slowly, then walked toward the door.

Dinah rushed forward, her arms circling around me. “They were showing it on the news. The numbers were all over the place. I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“I’m sorry if I worried you,” I told her, settling on arm on her back and making soothing motions. “It got a little crazy there.”

Lily crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at me. “A little crazy? What the hell, Taylor?”

“Has my dad shown up?” I interrupted. She blinked and then her hand went to her mouth. 

“No, we’ve been waiting on you,” she said. “What happened?”

“Let’s go inside,” I said quietly, digging the keys from my pocket. I took a deep breath and unlocked the door to the new house for the first time. I expected Dad would be the person to do this and for a long moment, my hand seized up as I tried to turn the knob.

I pushed the door open. “Dad?” Silence met my question and I went in. 

“I think they stocked the refrigerator too,” I said. “Make yourselves comfortable and I’ll find ice cream, then I’ll tell you all about it.”

* * *

I sat on the couch, staring at the door, the first hints of dawn creeping in at the windows. 

“Dad,” I said aloud. “Where are you?”

\--


	45. Chapter 45

The parking lot was surprisingly intact. And my dad’s car sat, forlorn and abandoned. Beyond, the Dock Worker’s Association building was a charred and damaged ruin, hunched in on itself like some sort of wounded animal.

I laid a hand on the hood of the car. It was cold and I stood there for a moment before walking over to the broken office. The entrance cracked as I approached, split apart by a manipulation of air. I shoved the pieces aside, staring around the wrecked foyer.

I stood there for a long moment, then began shifting debris around. Armsmaster had said they hadn’t found anyone inside, but there was a lot of rubble here and I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had looked myself. 

The sun was high overhead when I heard a familiar roar and turned my head slightly. Through the broken section of wall to my left, I saw Colin stepping off a motorcycle. I went back to shifting debris as he approached.

“Taylor,” he said, ducking under a beam to enter the part of the office I was in. “What are you doing?”

“Looking,” I said absently, pushing aside a broken desk and scanning the area revealed.

“I know you’re worried, but,” he began, his words falling away as I broke a wall apart to move into the next room. 

“But what?” I asked, continuing to survey the areas as I cleared them.

“We went over this area already,” he said. “We’re still looking for him. You can’t do this all by yourself.”

“Take three steps to your right,” I said. He looked confused for a moment, then did as I said. I shifted the rubble in front of me and with a shriek, a crack tore along the floor through where he had been standing. “You’re looking. I’m looking. I have to do something.”

“We’ll find him, I promise,” he told me. “But you need to rest. Have you even slept since the other night? What about school?”

“Sleep is pointless,” I murmured and turned to face him. “And what am I going to do in school? Be stared at? Bored? No.”

“Taylor,” he said, but I turned away.

“I’ve got more to cover still,” I said. “Did you need anything else?” 

He didn’t reply and after a moment, I heard the roar of his motorcycle departing. I stood still for a moment, then shoved a section of burnt wall out of my way. There had to be something here. I just had to keep looking.

* * *

Lily showed up next, picking her way to where I had moved past the office, pushing away debris on the far side of the building near an emergency exit.

“Armsmaster send you?” I asked, not looking in her direction. 

“He mentioned being concerned, but I came myself,” she said. “Why are you doing this, Taylor?”

“I’m looking for my dad,” I said. “What’s unclear about that?”

“It looks like you’re just shoving trash around,” Lily pointed out.

“There’s a lot of stuff broken,” I replied. “I’ve got to check everywhere.”

“Taylor,” she said, moving to stand in front of me. “The Protectorate and PRT have had people out here already. Do you really think you’re going to find something they missed?”

“I have to look,” I said, turning my head and shifting another section of rubble to my left. “I have to see for myself.”

“I understand that,” she said. “But you’ve been out here how long? Without sleeping? Have you eaten at all since yesterday?”

“I had ice cream last night,” I said.

“Real food, Taylor,” she rolled her eyes. “Look, I get that you’re worried about your dad. But do you think he would be happy with you out here? You’ve been in this one building for hours. You haven’t slept, haven’t eaten. You look terrible. You need to rest.”

“I have to find him,” I insisted. “That isn’t hard to understand, is it?”

“It isn’t,” she agreed. “But we’re worried about you. How long do you plan to be out here?”

“Until I find him,” I said simply, stepping around her to continue shifting the spaces she had moved in front of. Lily stood there for a moment, then made a frustrated sound and left. 

* * *

It was starting to grow dark when Lily returned, with someone else.

“Shouldn’t you be having dinner now?” I asked as Dinah followed Lily to where I was, weaving through the neat piles I had left behind as I searched.

“We’ve been waiting on you,” Dinah told me, staring. “Are you coming home?”

“I’ve got more places to look still,” I said, waving a hand toward the buildings around the office. “I need to check those as well.”

“Ninety-seven point three percent chance you’ll see your dad again,” Dinah said after a moment. I froze in the middle of pushing another section of burnt wall and melted concrete away. I turned to stare at Dinah.

“Ninety-seven percent?” I asked, my voice uneven.

“Point three,” she added. I stood for a moment then closed my eyes. I held that stance for a bit longer, then released a breath, feeling light-headed. Dinah was still staring at me, looking worried, when I opened my eyes.

“Let’s go home,” I said quietly. I started picking my way out and Dinah fell into step with me. Lily moved to the other side and we left the rubble of the Dock Worker’s office.

* * *

“Did Armsmaster say anything about whether they’ve found any clues?” I asked as we sat on the couch later. Dinah had refused to go to sleep and I could tell she was worried whenever I looked in her direction, even as she fought to stay awake.

Lily shook her head. “Unfortunately not. There weren’t any cameras within the office itself and those in the immediate area went down when fireballs started flying. He said he had someone looking to see if there was any footage from cameras further out. And they’ve got people on the ground looking for him.”

I nodded slowly. Ninety-seven point three percent, Dinah had said. Her numbers had not been wrong that I knew of. I held tight to the thought and nodded again. I wanted to be out looking for him, but I had to trust that would be correct. Lily was right about that, at least. Dad wouldn’t want me exhausting myself trying to find him. I was immune to a lot, but I don’t know if I could get sick from exhaustion or not.

“Tomorrow’s thursday?” I frowned as I asked that, suddenly feeling every ounce of the past forty-eight hours.

“It is, and school, if you’re up for it?” Lily asked.

“I …” I trailed off, then nodded. “Yeah. I’ll go. I’ll have more of you coming by to bother me if I don’t.” I gave them both a smile as I made my attempt at levity. “Vicky would probably show up and try to help. And she’d drag Amy along, I bet.”

“Or her boyfriend,” Lily said.

I scowled at the thought of Dean. “He can go walk off the pier. Or he could if it were still there.”

An eyebrow rose as Lily looked at me. “Alright, what happened exactly. You were short on details last night beyond Lung trashing everything.”

I took a deep breath. “It wasn’t just Lung’s fault. It got out of hand and it was my fault that it did. Word got to me that some people I’ve met wanted to meet. I agreed, because one of them helped me during Leviathan’s attack, healed me, so I went to see what-”

“You did what?” Lily exploded. “You went to meet with the Empire Eighty-Eight? What the hell, Taylor!”

“It was stupid, I know,” I said quietly. “But I couldn’t have stopped Leviathan if it hadn’t been for Othala. I was barely conscious after reversing the tidal wave and I think I was hurt worse than I realized by the bombs. So, I was being polite at least.”

It was her turn to take a deep breath. “That was dumb, Taylor, whether you felt like you owed them or not. They’re nazis.”

“I agreed on the stupid already,” I said, irritated. “Moving on, I met Kaiser and before we could really start talking, Lung attacked and it all went downhill from there.”

Lily frowned. “Wait, so you went to a meeting with Kaiser and almost as soon as you get there, Lung is trashing everything to get to you? And this doesn’t strike you as odd?”

I blinked, then played the moments before I started fighting Lung back in my mind. “I … didn’t think of that. I was a bit busy then, but … “ My eyes narrowed. “Kaiser didn’t seem all that surprised at his appearance. Said something about having nothing to do with it, or not expecting it …”

“He played you?” she ventured.

I took a deep breath. “I think he might have. Might have known his people were being watched by the ABB. If one of them sees Victor, for instance, meeting with me, word would go back to Lung …”

“And he’d come out for whatever reasons he had,” Lily finished.

“Son of a bitch,” I swore. “I got played. Completely.”

“It happens,” she replied. “What now?”

I yawned. “First, I’m going to get some sleep, or try to. Tomorrow, I think I’m going to figure out the best way to explain to Kaiser why setting me up to do his dirty work is a bad idea.”

A manipulation of air lifted Dinah off the couch. She made an attempt to say something, but it dissolved into a yawn to rival mine. 

“Bed for you,” I told her.

“C’n I stay with you?” she mumbled.

“Sure,” I said, guiding her up to the bedroom and depositing her there. “I’ll get cleaned up and be back in a few.”

“‘kay,” she murmured as I left to head to the shower.

I was grateful for the water pouring down my face as I stood under the spray, drawing in shuddering breaths.

Ninety-seven point three percent.

Dad, where are you, I wondered.

\--


	46. Chapter 46

Biology was my first class that following morning. I listened to the drone of Mr. Zeddmore, letting my mind wander as he waxed eloquent about details of the human body. I turned my attention fully toward him as he started talking about the flow of blood in the body, but after my thoughts started turning in directions that left me feeling queasy, I stared out the window instead.

Focusing on his words did help to distract me from worrying about my dad, or feeling the eyes at my back. I hadn’t paid it much attention over the past day, but the news had not been kind over what happened at the docks. It almost made me want to laugh, when I caught one of the news reports this morning and heard how they were painting things. Especially since it flew in counter to what the PRT had already made a statement of. 

I didn’t turn from staring at the window as I felt a stab of irritation lance my thoughts. I didn’t have to look to know who was glaring at me now. Dean. Vicky’s boyfriend. My irritation grew as I thought about his words and what that had played a part in. Hopefully lunch would not be too awkward, but I didn’t have high hopes for that.

Class finished and I left quickly, arriving at my next course before anyone else. Mr. Venkman was hunched over his desk, focused on something intently. 

“Ms. Hebert, you were absent yesterday,” he stated without looking up. “Why is that?”

“I had reasons,” I said, angling toward the aisle where my desk was.

“Did they involve a gigantic man made of marshmallows?” he asked, looking up as I crossed in front of the great wooden desk that dominated the front of the room. There was a collated paper sitting there, filled with countless lines of tight neat print that had looked like it had been bled on, with all the red marks dotting it.

“Um, no?” I replied, confused.

Disappointment appeared on his face. “Why does that only happen to me?”

“Are you alright, sir?” I asked, wondering what was wrong with him. A gigantic man made of marshmallow? Really?

He fixed me with a look I couldn’t decipher. “I am perfectly fine, thank you. The question at hand isn’t my well-being, but yours.”

“You’ve seen the news,” I retorted before I could stop myself, “They’ve gone over all the details.”

“If I wanted an account of your welfare filtered through the lens of whatever agenda any given network is enacting, I would watch the news, yes,” he told me. “Since I’m not, it follows that I don’t.”

I stared, ignoring the students beginning to filter into the room. “I’m fine.”

“Are you?” he asked. “I understand recent events cannot have been easy for you.”

“Does it matter?” I countered. “The docks are still trashed, people died and my dad …” I stopped, realizing that students were staring at me. “I’m fine.”

“Mm,” he said, then rose. “Everyone, take a seat.”

I moved to my usual place and ignored the looks I was getting now. Mr. Venkman moved around his desk and leaned against the edge, scanning the room as the last of the students filtered in.

“There has been a lot of talk in here over the last few weeks,” he said, crossing his arms. “Even more so in the last day. What I have heard concerns me greatly, for a large portion of it is nothing more than rumors carried around by those who haven’t bothered to research facts. So, it isn’t our usual subject matter, but today, we’re going to discuss rumors and how they shape perception.”

I felt a frown cross my face and a sinking feeling develop in my stomach as he said that while looking at me.

“Now, there’s a lot of ways rumors can affect things. For instance, a former friend might spread them out of spite in an attempt to shred someone’s reputation, or they might be used to enhance something, to make it more than it is.”

He swept his gaze over the room. “What are some other ways that rumors could be used?”

“Spreading information that you don’t want a clear trail back to?” someone chirped from the back.

“Good,” Mr. Venkman nodded. “Any others?”

“Misinformation? You want to deceive someone!”

“Also a good one,” he nodded. “Which brings me to the other part of our subject, how rumors shape perception.”

He pushed off the desk with his hips, confident that he had everyone’s attention. “Now, let’s say that there is a fight that breaks out and causes a lot of damage.”

“Mr. Venkman, I-” I began, raising my voice. All eyes swivelled to me.

“Yes, Ms. Hebert?” he asked. “Were you volunteering to help?”

“I don’t think this is appropriate for class,” I said.

“Noted,” he told me. “Now, this fight happens and gets a lot of attention, a great deal of it is negative. What we know for fact is that there was a fight and the efforts to subdue one were resisted and that led to the devastation. That is all we know for certain. But a great deal of the people speaking on it as experts do not know anything beyond that, but go on and make their claims, regardless of what facts we know.”

Dean’s voice spoke up. “The Docks are ash because of her. How is that not a fact?”

“Mr. Stansfield,” the teacher said, fixing him with a stern look. “Since you’ve brought current events into the matter, tell me, what exactly would you have done differently against someone as potent as Lung?”

“I would have stopped him before it could have gotten that bad!” he retorted. “And here she sits, like nothing has happened. No punishment for her part in burning down all that area. Why?”

“Why?” Mr. Venkman said. “That is a fair question. Which brings me back to my topic. Sit down, Mr. Stansfield, you’ve said your piece.” Dean grudgingly subsided back into his chair and our teacher continued.

“Why is quite possibly the most important question of all,” he said. “Why? Why did this happen? Why did this building and not that one burn down, why did this man attack me and so on. Now, let’s address that. You wondered why she was here in class and not being punished. Tell me, do you know what happened the other night?”

“The docks burned down while she was fighting Lung,” Dean said sourly.

Mr. Venkman nodded. “They did. But what precipitated that fight? Why was Lung there. Did Ms. Hebert simply stroll down to the Docks shouting for Lung to come out and play? As you seem to be so informed, tell me exactly what happened that night, in detail, every moment, Mr. Stansfield.”

He blinked. “What? She trashed the docks while fighting with Lung.”

“So you know nothing but what has been parroted on the news?” Mr. Venkman asked then turned his head to look around the room. “Disappointing. I had hoped you were more informed than that, with how much conviction you seemed to be displaying.”

He paced across the front of the room. “Now, who can tell me exactly what happened that night? Beyond the facts that we know and without any of the rumors that are being carried about as gospel by the media?”

A hand went up toward the back and he gestured. “Ah, yes, Chris, what is your answer?”

Chris looked sideways toward Dean, then back to the teacher. “The only person who can tell us exactly what happened in detail is Taylor, sir.”

“Precisely,” he nodded. “Which makes anything beyond the facts that Lung went on a rampage and the Docks burned down before Ms. Hebert stopped him as rumor only. Now, as she is here and not in custody, one fact we can conclude with a reasonable amount of certainty is that the authorities have not seen fit to lay any part of the events of tuesday evening at her feet. Perhaps that will change, but that is speculation on my part, nothing more.”

He swept his gaze over the room. “Now, unless and until Ms. Hebert decides to share with us regarding those details, anything that you hear from anyone that isn’t her is rumor and supposition and has no place in this classroom.”

“Sir, there is video footage showing her fighting Lung over the bay and the fires lighting everything up,” Dean protested. 

Mr. Venkman pinned him with his gaze. “Which shows them fighting. Nothing has been released as to why. Context, Mr. Stansfield. Without that, you have no insight into details. Perhaps it would have been worse if she had not opposed him? You can’t consider only one detail when reviewing a situation, Mr. Stansfield.”

Dean subsided again, looking unhappy and Mr. Venkman turned the discussion to the usual subjects.

* * *

I picked at my food halfheartedly as I sat in my usual place for lunch. Lily had left early, mentioning something to do with Wards business and despite Mr. Venkman’s discussion, opinions about me were still leaning toward the negative side.

I didn’t mind, though. It left me time to think about things. Like what Lily and I had discussed last night. Had Kaiser set things up so that I would fight Lung? It would leave the Empire Eighty-Eight as the only villain group of note. The Merchants barely counted as one and with Bakuda in custody, that left only Oni Lee, Lung’s other lieutenant as the only ABB member with powers. 

I dropped my fork onto the tray, considering the possibility. I ran my hands over my face, debating what to do. I only had a theory and I couldn’t say it was even correct. Had Kaiser set it up? Did he have something to do with my dad being missing? Was it someone else’s doing? 

Too many questions. But I was going to find answers to some of them, at least. I would start with Kaiser and his group. 

The chairs shifting drew me out of my thoughts and I looked up to find Victoria, Amy, Carlos, Chris, Dennis, and … Dean.

I shoved my things onto the tray and moved to stand. “I’m sorry, guys, not good company at the moment.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Victoria said. “Look, I heard some of what’s going on and we wanted to cheer you up.”

I took a deep breath. “I appreciate the thought. But it really is best if I go somewhere else and let you guys have the table.”

“Look, Taylor,” Carlos said. “I know it can’t be easy-”

“Really?” I said, my eyes brushing past him to stare at Dean. “So, you know what it’s like to have to deal with all the destruction because you let someone’s holier than thou attitude get to you and didn’t put Lung down when you had the chance?”

Silence fell and everyone was staring at me. Carlos broke first. “Taylor, what are you saying?”

I turned slightly, but kept my eyes on Dean. “I’m saying that I could have put Lung down before it ever got that bad and thanks to Dean’s little sermon the other day, I held back and guess what? The Docks is burnt up. My dad’s missing and it’s all my fault!”

The silence stretched louder now, and everyone in the cafeteria was staring. I took a deep breath, then another and let my tray clatter back to the table. 

“Taylor …” Victoria began, but I waved her off.

“No, I’m done,” I said, slipping around the chairs. “Enjoy lunch, you guys.”

I didn’t look back even as I heard angry voices at the table behind me, mixed with calls for me to come back. My eyes burned as I thought of my Dad, of the Empire Eighty Eight, of Lung.

By the time I left the school grounds, they were dry and I knew what I was going to do.

I was going to check with Colin to see if they had any news about my dad. Then I was going to find out if I had been set up against Lung.

Kaiser.  
\--


	47. Chapter 47

Colin stared at the reports before him with a frown. Missing persons cases weren’t things that they normally handled, except when they related to parahumans. There wasn’t anything that made him think that these were, despite the commonality tying the two cases together, but it had been handed off him to look into nonetheless.

“This is a waste of time,” he said aloud. “Why am I doing this?” There were a thousand other things he needed to be working on that didn’t involve missing people, projects that needed working on, people he needed to talk to. 

“What is this?” Hannah asked, entering his office without announcing herself.

“Missing people,” he grunted sourly. “The father of one is threatening legal action, says that his daughter and her friend missing is the work of a dangerous parahuman with a vendetta against them.”

“Any truth to that?” she asked, sitting down.

He snorted. “In his mind, perhaps. I’ve looked over the dates and times and can unequivocally say it’s a farce. But, since he’s making enough noise, I still have to follow regs.”

“Want me to look into it?” she offered.

Colin shook his head. “Not necessary. I just have to type up my findings and send it on its way. Did you need me for something?”

“Taylor Hebert,” she said, nodding slightly when his focus sharpened onto her. “She’s been your personal project since the incident with Velocity. You seem a lot more stressed than usual though.”

“Pressure trickling down from higher up. The disaster at the Docks only gave them a stronger voice. Regardless of the fact that she stopped him, they’re placing the bulk of the blame on her and not Lung. Emily’s feeling pressure and I’ve heard that even Costa-Brown is having trouble keeping them off our necks.”

“I guess I can understand that,” she admitted. “That was pretty terrifying to see, Colin.”

“I know,” he sighed. “The last time Lung had gotten that ramped up was in Kyushu. Then, even Alexandria couldn’t get near him because of the heat. Taylor didn’t even appear to notice or care.”

“You’ve reviewed the Leviathan fight, yes?” Hannah asked. “Was I wrong that she broke Alexandria’s hold there before dropping back down?”

“I inquired,” he replied. “Alexandria admitted that she had no idea how it was accomplished. The fact that we have a teenage girl with the power to stand with the Triumvirate is concerning. Especially given recent events.”

“Her dad being missing, you mean?”

“That and other stress factors,” he told her. “The reception she’s been getting from certain elements is of concern to me. And with her power, if something terrible has happened to her dad and it’s an act of malice or he died while she was fighting Lung, I can’t predict what she’ll do.”

“You think he was taken?” Hannah asked. “Or dead?”

“Both are possibilities,” he allowed. “I’m thinking that dead is unlikely. Not an impossibility, mind. If he were, and his body got completely incinerated, then perhaps. But given how much of the building was still standing, it couldn’t have gotten that hot.”

“You have thoughts on what happened, then?”

“Speculation,” he corrected. “Nothing more. I think he may have been taken by someone, yes. But there’s no evidence of that at all. That worries me the most. If someone has taken him, why haven’t they said something or done something? He’d be a valuable bargaining chip against her.”

“Psychological tactics,” she said. “They’re letting her get wound up and confused. Make her more susceptible to demands when she’s reeling and upset over what happened to him.”

“That’s a balancing act, though,” he said. “If not handled exactly right, it could blow up in their face.”

“Logic rarely enters into the thoughts of someone who would do provoke someone with Taylor’s demonstrated abilities,” Hannah said, rising. “Anyway, I’m going to make my patrol. Try to stress less, alright?”

“That would require having a lot less worries than I do right now,” he said, shaking his head. “Be safe.”

She nodded and departed as he went back to looking over the reports in front of him.

The intercom at his desk buzzed. “Sir?”

“What is it?” he asked absently.

“Taylor Hebert to see you,” was the reply.

“Send her in,” he murmured, taking a deep breath. And suddenly, my worries are likely to increase.

* * *

Colin’s office appeared to be one he didn’t use much, judging from the sparse furnishings. I stopped inside the door as he was putting some papers into a folder and adding it to a stack on the left side of the desk.

“Taylor,” he said, looking up at me, his eyes narrowed as he looked me over. “Is everything alright?”

“Have you found anything?” I asked in reply.

“I’m afraid not,” he said, reluctance clear. “We’ve been going over all the camera footage in the area that we have, and we have people on the ground looking, but nothing yet.”

“Do you think Kaiser might be responsible somehow?” I asked, staring at a picture on the wall of one of Dragon’s suits.

Colin frowned. “I’ve nothing to connect him or the E88 to your dad missing. Why would you ask that?”

“I was at the graveyard to meet him,” I replied. “They asked and since Othala did patch me up the night of Leviathan, I was being polite. I had planned to just tell him I wasn’t interested in whatever he was pitching, but Lung attacked.” I paused, ordering my thoughts. “I think it might have been a set up.”

Colin took a deep breath, lacing his fingers together on the desk. “You had a tentative accord with them, correct? After your encounter with Stormtiger and Cricket?”

“Victor spoke to me,” I confirmed. “They took it as such, I guess. I didn’t care much at the time, as long as they weren’t bothering me.”

Colin nodded. “While I personally find him to be a reprehensible human being and all that he stands for is an affront to anyone decent, I can’t deny that Kaiser is intelligent. I don’t believe he would gamble so many of his people and open them to injury against someone like Lung without having control of all the variables. From what you told me, quite a few of them were hurt badly? He wouldn’t open his people to possible death unless he knew what the end result would be.”

I stared at a space on the wall now. “And pitting me against Lung was an uncertainty?”

“Taylor,” Colin spread his hands. “As best as we know, Lung has no limit on his growth. The last time he came anywhere near to where he was last night was against Leviathan. Kyushu was sunk then. The fact that you threw Leviathan away with no injuries taken on your part at all would suggest you stood a chance. But just throwing you and Lung at each other isn’t something a smart man would do. Again, as much as I despise him, Kaiser is a smart man.”

“How do I find him?”

“If I knew where to find Kaiser, I would have already ensured he was in custody and the E88 was dismantled,” Colin told me. “But who he is remains information that I am not privy to.”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll have to find him myself then.”

“Taylor,” Colin leaned forward. “What are you planning to do? You can’t just run roughshod over the criminal factions in the city. Please, don’t start a war with the E88.”

“I’m not going to fight, unless they attack first,” I said, turning toward the door. “I am going to talk to Kaiser, though. I’ll decide what to do from there.” I paused in the middle of walking. “About my dad. You didn’t answer. Do you think the E88 had something to do with him disappearing?”

“While I can admit that Kaiser might, if he felt the benefits outweighed the risks, arrange for Lung to come after you, and that’s a very narrow possibility, given what I know of him, he wouldn’t risk inciting you by abducting your dad, knowing what is known about your capabilities,” Colin said. “Again, please don’t do anything reckless.”

“I’m just going to talk to him,” I said again and walked out of the room.

* * *

I stood on a hill overlooking the wreckage of the docks. The number of casualties from Leviathan had been small, but there had still been some and a monument stood there with the names of those who had been lost.

I stood near it now, looking at the charred ruin that was the docks. I wanted to talk to Kaiser, but I didn’t have the first idea how to find him. Every time I had contact with the E88, they had approached me. I could go into area that I knew they held and find some lesser member and demand to see him, but I had no guarantees that would be at all productive. 

For once, I had a situation that I didn’t know how to resolve myself. The use of force would just drive them to hide. I needed another way to find him.

The breeze ruffled my hair and I relaxed for a moment, then frowned as the coastal breeze carried a hint of char to my nose. I grimaced and adjusted so that the smell no longer bothered me or served as a reminder of things I didn’t like. The sight was enough.

“I thought I might find you here,” a familiar voice. Lisa.

“Your power tell you that?” I asked.

“No, well, maybe. What I know of you gave me a good idea of what you would do after you left Arcadia for the day,” she said, moving to stand beside me at the railing. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Can’t you tell?”

“I get cues, sure,” she replied. “But reading you isn’t easy at the best of times. Not because of your powers, but you give me so little to extrapolate from.”

“I suppose,” I shrug. “I’m just thinking. I want to find Kaiser.”

“To talk to him?” she asked, then tilted her head. “But that isn’t all. If he doesn’t give you answers that you like, you’ll take him down?”

“If that is what it takes,” I replied. “If he did set me up, then this mess down there is as much his fault as it is mine and Lung’s.”

Lisa was looking at me with something akin to awe and what I thought might be fear. “You’ll really crush all the villain groups underfoot if it finds you your dad, won’t you? And anyone else that gets in your way?”

“He’s all the family I have left since Mom died,” I said. “Without him … I don’t know what …” I trailed off, feeling lost.

“Listen to me,” Lisa said, resting her hands on mine and turning me to face her. “What you’re thinking doesn’t lead anywhere you want to go. You have friends, people who care about you. Dinah, Lily, hell, me.”

“You?” I asked, blinking.

“You saved me from Coil,” she said. “If you hadn’t been there, I’d be either dead or a drugged slave.”

“You were there, you needed help,” I shrugged. “It was pretty straightforward.”

“Why so uncomfortable with the idea that you’re a hero who saves people?” Lisa asked.

“Saves people?” I barked, my voice high. “I’ve saved, what, three people? How does that balance against the ones that are dead because of me? Coil, his men, Trickster, Lung, people who died during that.” I waved a hand at the vista below us.

“You’re looking at it wrong,” Lisa said, insistent.

“Am I?”

“What you should be asking is do those deaths outweigh all the people you’ve saved,” she continued. “Which is a lot more than three.”

“Dinah, you, Armsmaster,” I said, frowning at her.

“And the Quartet, and all the people who would have died if you hadn’t fought Leviathan? The defense was beginning to fall apart when you showed up,” she fixed me with a stare. “You can’t discount people just because you don’t know them personally. Leviathan could have been a very different result if not for you.”

“It isn’t the same,” I stated.

“Why not?” she asked. “Attaching value only to people you know isn’t an answer, Taylor. You might not know the people hiding in shelters, or the man who refused to leave his house because he’s been there for sixty years, but those are people who would be alive because of what you did. How many of his waves did you counter?”

“One or two?” I shrugged. “At least one. There was a lot going on after that.”

“One,” she said. “But he stopped trying for them after that.”

“Is a there a point to all of this?”

Lisa looked frustrated. “That you did more good than bad. And you’re being overly selective about what constitutes good. Like I said, you can’t say that you didn’t save people simply because they weren’t someone you know.”

“What do you suggest, then?” I asked, irritated by her constant pushing.

“You’re keeping your thoughts too narrow,” she gestured at the burnt buildings sprawled below us. “You want to stop things like this and think it means being a hero, like the Wards and Protectorate. But your power gives you so much more than that. Like we were planning with the ship graveyard, you can make things better, not get involved in the back and forth of cops and robbers.”

“How am I supposed to make things better?” I demanded, waving my hand at the scene she had indicated. “This is my fault. Where in any of this do you see the ability to do more than destroy?”

She shook her head. “You’re thinking too narrowly, still. Having powers doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to being a hero or a villain. Your power’s uses … I can’t even count how many they are. And precious few of them involve fighting.”

“And how do any of those help me find my dad?” I asked quietly.

Lisa took a deep breath. “In the short term? Not much. Long term, if it comes to that, you can gain money, influence, power.”

“I have power,” I said. “That’s where these problems started.”

“There’s more than one kind, Taylor,” Lisa said, laying a hand on my shoulder. “So, you want to find out if Kaiser set you up and if he has anything to do with your dad being missing? We’ll start there, then we’ll build up after that.”

“You can find Kaiser?”

She grinned. “I have insight into things like that. I’m sure I can point us in the right direction.” She stepped back, offering her hand to me.

I stared at it for a long moment, thinking of my dad. Armsmaster said they were looking, but hadn’t found anything. I didn’t know where to start, but Lisa was offering the opportunity to do something, at least.

“Let’s go,” I said, taking her hand. Her grin widened and she gave my hand a squeeze, leading me away from the monument to whatever she intended.

* * *

Somer’s Rock was a hole in the wall that I wouldn’t even give a second glance. The exterior was run-down, most of the places around it were closed or in similar states of disrepair. The inside matched the exterior and I took a seat at a table in the center of the room, with Lisa sitting beside me, now wearing her costume.

“This is neutral territory,” she said. “Every place has one, usually. No violence, no baiting, no powers. If there’s an issue, it’s resolved here by words alone.”

“This isn’t a place that heroes come to, is it?” I asked, looking around at the run-down interior.

She shook her head. “Nope. They probably know about it, but any meetings aren’t advertised to the authorities and if they’re serious enough, there will be a lot of power here. More than they would want to square off with most of the time.”

I nodded. “You think we’ll meet Kaiser here?”

Lisa nodded. “I know we will. He’ll not miss the opportunity to speak with you after what happened there. The only question is who he’ll bring with him.”

As she finished saying that, the doors opened and Kaiser entered, his armor gleaming from the sunlight. Flanking him were Fenja and Menja, and just behind, wreathed in a faint aura, was Purity.

He showed no signs of nervousness as they crossed the floor and sat across from us. Fenja and Menja took up positions behind him and Purity seated herself a distance away, crossing her legs and making little sound.

“Ms. Hebert,” he inclined his head to me, then looked toward Lisa. “Tattletale. I confess I was unaware that the Undersiders had an association with Ms. Hebert.”

“There isn’t one,” Lisa replied. “I’ve parted ways with them.”

“I see,” he turned his head to me. “My condolences, Ms. Hebert, on your current state of affairs.”

“Did you set me up against Lung?” I asked bluntly. Beside me, Lisa exhaled, but I ignored it, staring at Kaiser’s impassive figure.

He said nothing for a long moment. “While I cannot deny that his removal has benefited me, despite those who were injured by his assault prior to your intervention, I admit with honesty that I did not arrange your confrontation with Lung.”

Lisa’s hand found mine beneath the table and squeezed once, our sign to indicate she believed the statement to be true. 

“Are you responsible for my dad going missing?”

Kaiser leaned forward. “Ms. Hebert, I would not risk your ire by such an action. Especially now when I control the most powerful faction in Brockton Bay. The Merchants are trash, the ABB effectively crushed as their real power lay with Lung. To risk the E88’s position by inciting you to violence against us would be folly. So, no, I have no role in your father’s disappearance.”

He continued before I could reply, “However, in the interests of furthering our non-aggression pact, I have instructed my people to keep an eye out. I am given to understand that you have contacts with the authorities doing the same, but there are many places where none will speak to them. Such issues do not exist for my people. If we learn anything, Victor will convey it to you.”

I stared until Lisa gave my hand another squeeze, then stood up. “Fine. If I find you’ve lied to me, though, I promise I’ll bring your gang down around you.”

Kaiser held up a hand as Fenja and Menja bristled. Purity didn’t move or react to the the threat that I could see, however. “I understand your frustrations, but again, I did not have any involvement in your father’s disappearance. In the interests of our relationship remaining amicable, however, I will overlook that threat.”

I didn’t bother to reply, starting toward the door. Lisa followed after me. I didn’t look back, but could feel eyes on me the whole way until the door closed.

* * *

“So, Kaiser denies any involvement?” Lily asked as we sat in the living room, an open carton of ice cream between us.

I nodded. “He does. Tattletale thinks he’s truthful. I’m skeptical, but I don’t have her power to read people, so I can’t tell what cues she’s getting.”

“What do you plan to do now?” she asked, digging into the carton for the dregs of the ice cream.

“No idea,” I admitted. “I thought about hitting the Merchants, but I don’t think they are smart or stupid enough to try abducting my dad.”

“Well, you could-” Lily began, the doorbell ringing to interrupt her. We exchanged looks as neither of us were expecting anyone. I stood and started toward the door even as Lily lifted one of the darts she kept on hand.

I unlatched the door after peering through the eyehole, not recognising the harried looking brunette that stood there. “Can I help you?”

The woman looked up, relief pouring onto her face. “Ms. Hebert, my name is Kayden Anders. And I need your help.”


	48. Chapter 48

Interlude 4a - Jack and Danny

Snap. Click

The sound was soothing in its own way.

Snap. Click. 

He smiled slightly as the dark-haired girl in the corner flinched at the sound and motion, but kept his attention on the television as the news report continued, replaying videos over a week old now.

“I don’t understand people some times,” he said aloud, smile widening as the girl half-squealed at the sound of his voice. “A perfectly good white girl like that and she’s helping, doing good, being utterly boring.”

“All that power and what does she do?” he asked, leaning across the bar to rap his knuckles on the forehead of the man there. “Decides to be a do-gooder. I ask you, is that right?”

The man didn’t answer, of course, but that was expected.

“But then, then she does something interesting,” he went on as the news report continued. “She cuts down that loser’s operation and kills him without even batting an eye. Sure, for a good cause and all, but there’s potential there, something I can work with.” His hand slammed down on the counter, prompting the girl to scream and curl further into the corner. 

“But enough about her for now,” he turned his head toward her as he spoke. “Let’s talk about you.”

“Puh-please,” she gasped. “I’m sorry, I’m-I’m sorry!”

“I put a lot of effort into molding those with me,” he said, as if she hadn’t spoken. “And, while I’ll admit I admire ambition, poor Alan was one I had put so much work into. And all of that was wasted. Because you broke him!” The last word ended on a shout and the girl released a panicked squeal.

Snap. Click.

“It’s ok, though,” he said finally, standing walking toward her. “If it had been any of the others, I might have been more lenient.” He tilted his head slightly, crouching down before her. “Well, maybe not, Still, you wanted to join me. And I admire ambition. But then you thought you’d set your goals even higher, that you’d control me!”

Snap. Click.

“So, tell me, Cherish,” he filled her chosen name with scorn. “How is that plan working out for you?”

“I’m suh-sorry,” she choked. “P-please d-don’t … “I’m sorry!”

“No, you aren’t,” he corrected. “You will be though.”

Abruptly, he stood, drawing another flinch from her. “But! In all fairness, giving you a chance to fix this is a good thing. You broke poor Alan, so I’m going to give you a chance to make things up to me. Isn’t that nice?”

He frowned when she didn’t answer, then looked at one of the men at the bar. “Isn’t that nice?”

The man, like the first, didn’t answer and he sighed. “These guys, all boring.”

The girl was staring at him now, broken sobs emerging between greedy gulps of air. His frown returned for a moment, then was replaced by a smile. “Now, like I said, you’re going to help replace poor Alan. You broke him, so it’s only right, after all.”

“R-replace?” she asked.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “I have such wonderful ideas for that. You’ll help me with them.” His frown reappeared.

“Though, right now, you’re not much use to me. But I have someone who can fix that. Some changes and you’ll be perfect for what I have in mind.”

“Changes?” she asked, her face going white.

“Nothing major, I’m sure,” he told her. “A nip here, a fold there, you know how these things go.”

“No!” she screamed, finding strength in her legs to run. He watched her stumble toward the door, bemused.

“Siberian.”

The word froze her in mid-motion and the two-toned woman appeared between her and freedom. A hand closed around her upper arm and her struggling against it did nothing to budge the grip.

“Be a dear and take Cherish here to Bonesaw, would you?” he asked. The Siberian didn’t reply, but that was something else he was used to. The girl, though, made enough noise for both, screaming a litany of denials and pleas that made him frown once more.

“And ask her to do something about that screaming, please?” he asked. “Her voice is painful to hear.”

The door to the bar closed, muting the girl’s screams. Jack stood there for a moment, then sketched an elaborate bow to the bar’s silent denizens.

“Thank you all for being so respectful an audience,” he announced. “I’m sorry none of you will see me again, but then, I won’t see any of you again except in the papers, so I suppose it all works out.”

Snap. Click.

None of them answered him and he shook his head. His hands slid into his pockets and he left the bar, whistling

* * *

Danny choked on the smoke, stumbling through the hallway. The heat was unbearable and he could barely see, much less his attempts to breathe. The exit was ahead, he knew, he just had to reach it.

Above, something struck the building and there was a shriek of collapsing lumber. Something gave way and weight from above slammed down onto him.

His next thought was of voices and he found himself blinking as a hand closed around his wrist. Debris shifted and he was pulled clear.

“Mr. Hebert,” a voice said. Danny tried to focus on the speaker, but a fit of coughing upset his focus. “I’m glad you’re alright. I was hoping to meet your daughter.”

“Who’re you?” he gasped out between coughs, trying to see past the smoke and blurred vision. One of his staff? The new ones that had been assigned to his office? He couldn’t tell. Another round of coughing erupted and then darkness claimed him.

* * *

Snap. Click.

“A hero?” he almost shouted. “What sort of joke is this?” He waved a hand at the news report, replaying video from hours ago, showing her talking to some loser from the Protectorate, Wallmaster or whatever his name was.

“All this and she decides to be boring?” he asked, pacing the room in agitation. “This simply won’t do.”

His pacing abruptly stopped. “I suppose now is as good a time as any to set things up, though. I’ve so been looking forward to talking to her, after all.”

Snap. Click.

He turned his attention back to the television. “A hero, really? How boring. That won’t do at all, Taylor Hebert. Not at all.” His gaze moved from the television to one of the room’s other occupants. 

“I wonder how you’ll react when you’re reunited with your father,” he mused. “What do you think, Mr. Hebert?”

He didn’t answer and Jack frowned. Why were so few worth talking to anymore?  
\--


	49. Chapter 49

Interlude 4b - Purity

He wasn’t going to turn the Empire over to her.  
The thought dropped into her mind as she sat in the disgusting bar. With it came certainty that whatever promises he made were worth as much as the dirt on the tables in this dump. He had coerced her around to his way of thinking then cast her aside in favor of the twins. Then he had conned her again with the lure of giving the Empire to her. But it was merely history repeating itself.

He intended to repeat what he had done with her, with this girl. Twist her beliefs around until she thought the sun rose and set on him. It would give him power, such that he could openly rule Brockton Bay. The thought of him in such a position made her ill.

His attempts to draw her into conversation were ignored after the girl had left. Letting him speak was the fastest way to be suckered into his agenda. She took flight, interrupting him mid-word. Other things were more important now, her daughter above all.

The apartment was not large, at all, but it suited her needs, providing enough room for her, Aster, and Theo. Kayde Anders couldn’t suppress a scowl at the thought of Theo. He was well-behaved, but Max had left him for a reason. There was always a reason for his actions, she knew. Even if it wasn’t immediately apparent. What the reason was for Theo, she didn’t know, but it had to be more than claiming he was a disappointment.

“How was your trip out?” he asked as she emerged from the bedroom.

“Fine,” she said curtly. “Nothing happened. Aster?”

“Napping,” he answered. “There are sandwiches in the fridge.”

Kayden nodded, brushing past him to check on Aster. Her daughter was asleep in the crib, making infrequent sounds. The woman stood there for a moment, staring at her daughter’s face.

“You won’t grow up under his thumb, sweetie,” she whispered. “I promise you that.” Quietly, she left the room for the kitchen. True to Theo’s word, there were sandwiches waiting. She took one and went to her desk. There was a lot she needed to find out if she was going to keep that promise.

* * *

Max Anders’ office was pristine as always. She didn’t bother with subtlety beyond waiting for the door to close to let her powers shroud her. He raised an eyebrow at the action, but appeared otherwise unruffled.

“To what,” he asked clearly, “do i owe the sudden visit?” Unspoken was his displeasure with her use of her powers so close to someone that might become aware of it that shouldn’t.

“I’m done,” she told him. “I’m done playing your games. You’re going to give up custody rights to Aster, give me Theo completely, and never speak to us again.”

Max stared at her, then arranged his hands on the desk, the click of keys fading as he stopped typing. Just like that, she knew she was speaking to Kaiser now. “And what, precisely, is going to motivate me to accede to your … demands?”

“You’ll do it or I’ll let everyone know who Kaiser, who you are.” she retorted.

He went utterly still and it almost made her smile. A reaction, at last. “Will you now?”

Slowly, Kaiser rose so that he was standing as well. “You are certainly free to do so. But, without any proof to present, there is only your word. Now, you could prove such a slanderous claim against a pillar of the community like Max Anders. But to do so would require you reveal yourself as well.”

He waited a moment to let his words sink in. “And then, do you know what would happen? The authorities wouldn’t allow dear Aster to remain with such a vile individual, a racist criminal such as Purity. They would take her from you.”

“No,” she whispered.

An eyebrow arched. “No? You would try to stop them, I’m sure, but they would merely involve the Protectorate. Alone, you would have no chance and you would be left with no one.”

He straightened his suit and carefully sat down. “No, you won’t reveal yourself to prove your claims and while you could make them without revealing your identity as Purity, I am afraid that should you do so, my lawyers would have to address such slander.”

Serene, he settled his hands back on the keyboard. “As it is, I may have to request that they look into custodial matters. This outburst makes me question your fitness to care for my daughter.”

The click of keys resumed. “Unfortunately, I am very busy at this time. I trust you can see yourself out.”

She stood there, stunned at his dismissal. When it became apparent that he was paying no more attention to her, she snarled out an epithet and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

The splash of cold water helped to settle her temper. Kayden switched off the faucet and paced the kitchen, agitated. 

The bastard was right, she thought. She could see the scenario he’d painted. Worse, the threat to bring a custody suit against her. He would do it too. With his money and resources, she’d have little hope of winning a court battle. Max would strip her daughter from her. Because he had what she didn’t; power.

Power …

But that wasn’t entirely true, was it? He had power because there weren’t any gangs left that could be a threat. The Merchants were nothing more than trash and the ABB were broken with Lung gone. Lung … She certainly didn’t believe the words he had told the girl. If it would advance his goals, all of the Empire were expendable tools to him.

She knew Max. What he couldn’t conquer, he would coerce or control. It was what he planned for the Hebert girl, she was sure. To mold her into an arm of the Empire.

Because she had power. She’d killed, on camera no less, played a part in horrific property damage and there had been no action taken against her by the authorities.

They were afraid of her, because she had power.

“Theo,” she said, calm settling on her abruptly. “Go pack your clothes. As much as you can.”

“Kayden?” he asked, confused.

“Just do it,” she ordered. “I’m going to get Aster’s things packed, then my own.”

“Okay …” he replied, still sounding confused, but obeying. Kayden took a moment then went to her daughter’s room. 

“Mommy’s going to take care of you, sweetie,” she murmured, packing clothes and preparing a diaper bag. Aster made a gurgling sound, hands batting at the air and she smiled. By the time she had finished packing Aster’s things as well as her own, there were several bags piled by the door.

“Carry as much as you can,” she told Theo, settling Aster in the carrier before lifting what she could. “We’re not coming back for a while.” And I hope I’m not making a mistake, she thought. 

“What’s going on? Are we in trouble?” Theo asked, shouldering the rest of the bags.

“Just carry that stuff,” she told him, hurrying to the elevators. She had watchers set by Max, she was sure and if she took too long, they might notice her departing. Speed was key now. They reached the parking garage without encountering anyone. Her movements were hurried as she sat Aster in the carseat and helped Theo load up the bags.

“Keep an eye on her,” Kayden ordered as they drove out of the garage through the rear entrance. It was late and there was little traffic. She kept her lights off for several blocks, hoping the dark color of the car would help hide her leaving. Once she had gone five blocks, she turned the headlights on.

The house sat overlooking the bay, the only sign anyone might be home was a light glimpsed through curtains.

“Come on,” she said, getting Aster out of the carseat and starting up to the door. Every step of the way was tense. She expected Kaiser to appear, or lawyers bearing notice that they were taking Aster from her. She shifted Aster and knocked, waiting in uncertainty until the click of locks being turned heralded the door’s opening.

The girl was not an impressive sight. Pajama pants and a camisole top. Behind her, an oriental girl wary and she saw open containers of ice cream on the table. Hardly the image she expected of someone who had repelled an Endbringer.

Kayden took a deep breath, feeling relief flood her being as she spoke. “Ms. Hebert, my name is Kayden Anders. And I need your help.”

\--


	50. Adagio

Tribulation

5.1 - Adagio

“My help?” I repeated, blinking. “Um, exactly how can I help you?” I looked from her, to the baby, then to the boy standing behind her before turning my attention back to her. 

“May I come inside so we can talk about that?” Kayden asked, glancing down the walk nervously.

“Are you in some sort of trouble?” I asked, noting how agitated she seemed.

“I am,” she admitted after a moment, shaking her head. “And I’m sorry about bringing it to your door. I should go.”

I sighed and stepped back. “Look, come in. I don’t know how I can help, but I’ll hear you out, at least.”

Relief appeared on her face again and she stepped in as I moved to the side.

“Please, have a seat. I’ll get you some water,” I said, giving Lily a look. She followed me to the kitchen and I took down two glasses. 

“Taylor, are you sure about this?” Lily asked. “You have no idea who this woman is.”

“I’m not,” I said, beginning to fill the glasses. “But I can hear her out, at least. Still, send Lisa a text and ask her to come over, would you? And could you get the grapes out and into a bowl?” Lily nodded, glancing back toward the living room before heading to the phone.

“Lisa said she would come by first thing in the morning. Said there were some drunks making trouble at the shelter and she had to deal with that,” she told me, coming back as I was filling the second glass. 

“Damn,” I replied. “I could have used her input now.”

“Are you really going to help her after she explains?” she asked. “Not to sound selfish, but with your dad missing, do you really want to run off helping some random woman with her problems?”

I stared at the wall for a moment. “I don’t have any idea where to find him. It’s like he’s vanished into thin air. I don’t know what she wants yet, anyway. No harm in hearing her out, right?”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Lily murmured. “I’ve got your back whatever you do.”

“You’ve got weapons on you?” I asked quietly.

“And you are one,” Lily answered with a nod and a grin. She gathered up the grapes and we walked back to the living room where Kayden was sitting.

“Here you go,” i said, placing the glasses on coasters. Then, seeing no reason to wait, asked. “Now, what’s this problem you need my help with?”

She said nothing for a moment and I waited, enduring the awed stare of the boy. I guess he had realized who I was? 

“My name, as I said, is Kayden Anders,” she began. “This is my daughter, Aster, and this is Theo.”

She took a deep breath. “But you probably know me best by another name.” Light bloomed around her, a shade of white that I had seen surrounding another person earlier in the day. The word left my lips before she could speak.

“Purity.”

* * *

Colin was bent over a project at his table when the call came in.

“Dragon?” he answered, blinking. “What is it?”

“I’ve been reviewing all the camera feeds from the night of the Lung incident that I was able to find,” she said. “None of the cameras around the office where her dad worked were functioning.”

“Taken out because of the fires?” he shrugged.

“No,” she answered. “They went down before the fight spread to the Docks, Colin.”

A chill ran down his back and he looked for his sweater. “Deliberate?”

“I think so,” Dragon told him. “I don’t have anything to show me who, however.”

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” he asked, frowning at the image on the screen.

“My tracking on the Nine has failed,” she told him, frustration carrying in her voice. “They dropped out of sight completely several days ago. I had thought they were merely holed up in one place, but after no activity, I sent in a probe to investigate. Mannequin, I found, is dead, but the rest are nowhere to be seen.”

“Mannequin, dead?” he repeated, stunned. “How?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But his remains were found at one there. The systems were shattered rather thoroughly. I’ve got units transporting what’s left so I can look it over.”

“Theories as to their objectives?”

“With so little to go on, I’m afraid not,” she answered. “I have speculation and that’s all. Speculation that you won’t like, I might add.”

“You think they might come here, to Brockton Bay?” he asked, frowning. “Why would they …”

Color drained from his face. “Shit. Taylor. If they come here, it would be for her.”

“It would fit Jack’s methods,” Dragon reasoned. “I’ve got every resource I can tasked with finding them. You’ll know the instant I learn anything.”

He took a deep breath. “At least we know they aren’t here yet. They like to announce themselves when they hit town. That habit hasn’t changed in years.” He ran a hand through his hair. 

“I’ll pass on word so we can prepare at least,” he finally said. “Be careful.”

“I will, and you too,” she said before ending the call.

“Damn,” he said, typing out a message and sending it. If the Nine were coming here and she was their target, even if it was a false alarm, the very possibility was worrisome. Taking a deep breath, he gathered some of what he needed and left. He had arrangements to make. Colin was not looking forward to telling the Director about this.

* * *

I ran a hand through my hair, frowning. “I’m really not sure what I can do for you, Kayden. My power doesn’t let me affect the law. If your ex sues for custody, I can’t just stomp my foot and make them rule in favor of you.”

Kayden sighed. “I know. As much as I wish our powers were an answer to everything. But you know people, you have influence. You’ve saved the Mayor’s niece and word is you’ve got close ties with both New Wave and the Protectorate. If you talked to the right people, they would help.”

I exchanged looks with Lily, feeling a bit bewildered. “Close ties to New Wave? The Protectorate? Where do people get these ideas?”

“You’ve been seen hanging out with Amy and Victoria Dallon, and nearly any time you’ve been on camera with the Protectorate, it’s with Armsmaster.” Kayden said, shrugging. “One rumor has that you’re related somehow to him. To say nothing of the more exotic rumors.”

“More exotic?” I asked, then shook my head as she started to answer. “No, I don’t want to know. It’s probably something disgusting. I saw some of the ideas being thrown about on PHO after the stupid pong business.”

I stood up. “It’s late enough that none of those people are going to be able to do anything tonight. If you want, I’ll talk to them in the morning and see what they suggest.” I frowned and glanced at the stairs leading to the second floor. “I have a couple of guest rooms if you’d like to stay. There’s no crib though, I’m afraid.”

“If it isn’t intruding too much, I would like that,” Kayden said. “Could I ask you to watch Aster while I move the car?”

“Um, sure,” I said. “Lily, can you pop the garage open? There’s space there. Probably best to get her car out of sight if people will be looking for it.”

“I’ll get it,” she said, rising and heading toward the garage entrance. Kayden rose and carefully offered Aster. I accepted, nervously adjusting my hands to support her head and neck. The little girl had fallen asleep at some point in our conversation and did not stir at being shifted into another person’s arms.

Kayden said something that I barely heard as I focused on holding Aster properly. After a moment, I relaxed and looked up to find Theo staring at me.

“What?” I asked, but he only shook his head, swallowing nervously. The silence stretched on and I sighed. “No, seriously. What?”

“It’s just …” he trailed off. “I, well, you’re kind of cool. I don’t know what to say.”

Me? Cool? I snorted. “I’m really not.”

“But you stopped Leviathan. And saved that girl! And you fought Lung! You’re a hero!”

I stared at him, feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at me. “I stopped Leviathan because he was in my way. As for Lung, have you seen the Docks? I fought him, sure, but how much of that mess is my fault and how much his?”

Theo shook his head. “You’re looking at it wrong. You stood up to people and things that would have just kept doing terrible things. How isn’t that being a hero?”

“Um, they’re dead?” I asked. “Well, Leviathan might not be. I don’t know how you kill an Endbringer anyway. You can’t just slap the label hero on someone because they killed a bunch of people.”

“You’re still looking at it wrong,” he said, shaking his head again. “A hero does what needs doing to protect people. You’ve done that.”

I sighed. “Look, Theo, right? Don’t use me as a role model or whatever. I’m not what you think a hero is and frankly, I think I’m getting tired of people trying to apply their definitions to me. I just did what I needed to stop someone from attacking me or anyone else. I didn’t do it to protect people I don’t know. Saving Dinah was for her and myself, Lung was because he attacked me. And Leviathan was in my way, nothing more, nothing less.” The statement didn’t appear to discourage him and I felt my discomfort with what I thought was almost worship in his eyes.

Lily and Kayden returned, saving me from more awkward questions. I looked at the way Kayden appeared uncomfortable and wondered what the reason was for that.

“All parked?” I asked, carefully handing Aster back.

“Yes,” Lily said, and the way her voice sounded made me look between them curiously. “Garage is closed up, too.”

“Right,” I said. Whatever was bothering Lily, I could ask about in a few, I suppose. “Let me show you to the rooms, then.” I stood and started up the stairs, leading Kayden and Theo to the other spare bedrooms. The donations and efforts that had built this house had gone overboard and it had way more rooms than I felt we needed, but I wasn’t complaining about it right now.

After they were settled, I turned to Lily, a question in my eyes. “Downstairs?”

“Downstairs,” she agreed and we headed back to the living room.

I waited until we were at the couch and started picking up the glasses and empty ice cream cartons. “So, what’s the problem?”

“She’s trying, I guess,” Lily said with a frown. “But let’s just say that she hasn’t given up all of her old beliefs.”

“What do you-oh,” I sighed. “She said something racist?”

“It was borderline,” Lily shrugged. “She looked upset, so I guess it’s something she’s working on, but it was still pretty offensive. Let me just say I’ll be happy if you can get her out of here as soon as possible.”

“Well, we’ll see what comes up tomorrow when I call Colin,” I said. “Anyway, it’s late, so sleep well.”

“You too,” Lily said, heading toward the bathroom on the second floor while I finished cleaning up the trash. I stared at the sink as I washed off the glasses, considering what I had been told tonight. Purity revealing her identity had been surprising, but even more so was the revelation of who the Empire Eighty-Eight’s leader, Kaiser, really was.

And now I had to decide what to do with that information. Kayden hadn’t painted a very flattering picture of her ex-husband and as much as they had tried to be cordial to me, there was a lot of things that they did that were as bad if not worse as anything Coil had done. I had no illusions. If I ceased to be on genial terms with them, the E88 would move against me somehow. He had the most parahumans of any group in the city. As many as the Protectorate, if not more, if I was remembering correctly.

I switched off the water and went upstairs, quietly slipping the door to Dinah’s room open to check on her. She was asleep, resting comfortably and I stood there for a moment before quietly closing the door and heading to my own room.

Kayden seemed convinced that Kaiser wanted to convert me over to being a member of the Empire Eighty-Eight. She had referenced her own past and how well she knew the man as evidence.

I closed my own door behind me, thinking on that. Was it right to trust someone I didn’t know’s word over another person I also didn’t really know? 

Victor had been the primary contact between me and the E88 and he had remained personable the whole time. My interactions with Kaiser had varied wildly. The first had been short due to the interruption from Lung and the second had mostly been me demanding information and then walking out on him when I decided he didn’t know anything about my dad.

I thought to another one of Kayden’s claims as I kicked off my slippers and stripped off the pajama pants for bed. Her belief that the fight with Lung had been precipitated by Kaiser deliberately, to use me to remove a rival.

That thought bothered me. I didn’t like being used and if it was true, then Kaiser and I were going to have words.

I pulled the bedding up and settled onto my side. Tomorrow, I would talk to Lisa and then go see Colin. 

* * *

Jack flipped the closed knife in his hand, whistling idly as he watched Bonesaw work. “Is she ready?”

“Almost,” Bonesaw replied absently, her eyes on her work as she made another adjustment with a razor. “And, there.”

He smiled. “And she’ll do what we need?”

Bonesaw made an insulted sound. “Of course. I adjusted how her power works and now, we can make it do whatever we want. One person, or everyone. It’s all here.” She looked up at Jack with a bright smile. “What’s first?”

Jack smiled. “Oh, it’s going to be grand, my dear.” He crouched down next to the vacant eyed figure of Cherish so that he was at eye level with her. “Now, let’s begin.”

\--


	51. Chapter 51

_I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My hands beat at the metal closing in on me and I pleaded for help, but there was only laughter._

 

I barely choked off a scream as I sat up, gasping for air. The room was dark, unfamiliar. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. Then it passed.

 

My room. The new house. I still wasn't used to it. I took in several shuddering breaths, running a hand through my hair. Distaste formed as I felt the strands cling to my fingers, soaked with sweat. I grimaced as I felt the same for the sheets.

 

"Nightmares, joy," I said, my voice feeling raw, like I had been screaming. I pushed the sheets aside, fighting my legs clear of the tangle. A glance at the clock showed it was three in the morning.

 

I started out of my room, taking care to be as quiet as possible. Something told me I wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight.

 

* * *

 

The first person to come downstairs was Lily, followed by Dinah. Both looked exceptionally rested and I glared in their direction for a moment before starting to search the cabinets for bowls. Theo came down a few minutes after, also looking like he had slept well. Where the hell were the bowls?

 

"Are you okay?" Lily asked, a note of concern in her voice.

 

"I'm fine," I muttered, closing the cabinet with more force than was necessary. "Just didn't sleep well. Bad dreams, I guess." I pulled down a box of cereal as Kayden came downstairs, holding Aster in her arms. The girl was making happy sounds, but Kayden herself looked tired.

 

"You had a bad night too?" I asked, holding the box in one hand as I began looking for bowls again. We had been gifted a bunch of dishes but whoever put them in the cabinets had no idea what they were doing.

 

"Hm?" she blinked at me, then yawned. "No, I slept like a log. Just feel tired for some reason, drained. I'll be fine when I get some sun."

 

"Mmm," I said absently. "Once I've had breakfast and a shower, we'll go see what can be done. I don't know how helpful anything I can do will be, but ... Oh, where the fuck are the bowls?"

 

Silence. I turned to see Lily standing nearby, holding open a cabinet that I was sure I had checked before. In her hand was a bowl that she held out to me.

 

“Must be more tired than I thought,” I said, taking the bowl from here and pouring some cereal. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s just a bowl, Taylor,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Go get some more sleep if you need to. I can make some calls while you do.”

 

I poured the cereal out into the bowl and grabbed some milk. “No. I’ll be fine. I can take a nap later if a shower doesn’t help.” I started crunching down the brightly colored cereal, each bite making me feel a little better.

 

Showering seemed to help as well and I felt more like myself after. The remnants of my nightmare falling away as I stepped into the sunlight outside.

 

“Did Lisa call and say why she was running late?” I asked Lily. I had expected Lisa to be already be here.

 

Lily shook her head. “No, I couldn’t get anyone to answer at the shelter, either.”

 

I frowned. “Odd. Well, it is on the way, so we can stop there first.” I glanced toward Kayden, Aster, and Theo then Dinah.

 

“It’ll be a bit cramped, but Lily can drive us,” I explained. “You three can have the backseat.”

 

For a moment, Kayden’s eyes flickered to Lily and I remembered what she had told me last night. But the older woman only nodded.

 

“That’s fine,” she said. “This Lisa can help?”

 

“She’ll be able to help us plan,” I replied as we went to the car.

 

It took a few minutes to get moving as we had to wait for Kayden to get the carseat in place, before we all piled in and started off. I shifted where I sat squeezed in with Dinah and rested my head against the side of the window. My eyes closed and I relaxed for a bit.

 

We were halfway there when I fished out my phone, dialing the number Colin had given me for getting in touch with him. I needed to let him know we were on our way.

 

“What?” his voice came over the line in a curt demand.

 

I blinked at his tone. “Colin, I needed to-”

 

“I don’t have time for whatever you’re babbling about,” he interrupted. “I’m too busy cleaning up your messes.” The line went dead and I stared at the phone.

 

“That was weird,” I said, blacking the screen and putting it away.

 

“What was?” Lily asked.

 

“Colin,” I shrugged. “In a bad mood, I guess. I’ll ask him in person.”

 

“Bad mood?” Lily echoed. “He does get kind of intense about things, but I’ve never seen him be in a bad mood.”

 

“Maybe something went sour while he was working last night,” I mused, frowning as I ran the brief conversation back in my mind.

 

“Who knows?” Lily asked idly. “It’s not like you running wild doing whatever you want doesn’t make problems for him.”

 

I stared at her. “What?”

 

“Hm?” she glanced at me. “I didn’t say anything.”

 

“You did,” I told her. “You said I was a problem for Colin.”

 

She looked at me like I had grown a second head. “I didn’t say that. Anyway, you’re not.”

 

“You did,” I began.

 

“You’re a problem for the whole town,” Lily went on. “Your dad probably ran away to get away from you.”

 

“Ninety-five point seven percent chance she is correct,” Dinah chimed in next to me.

 

“Why are you saying these things?” I demanded, stunned at the way they were both talking to me.

 

“Taylor? Taylor!”

 

“Gah!” I jumped away as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Lily was staring at me, having reached around Dinah and both were looking worried.

 

“You nodded off and were mumbling to yourself,” she said. “Are you okay?”

 

I swallowed, feeling my breathing calm. I had fallen asleep? It hadn’t felt like a dream.

 

“Sorry,” I said finally, rubbing at my face. “Must be more tired than I thought.”

 

“Do you want me to talk to Lisa while you nap some more?” she asked.

 

“No, I’ll be fine,” I shook off the odd feeling from the nap and glanced around, frowning. “Are we there?”

 

“I stopped to check on you,” Lily said. “It isn’t far, though.”

 

“Take Kayden on to see Colin,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I know the streets and I’ll walk the rest of the way and talk to Lisa.”

 

“Are you sure?” Lily said, looking worried still.

 

I nodded. “A walk should help. Feels too closed in right now.”

 

“I’ll go with you,” Dinah said, glancing between me and Lily.

 

“If you want to,” I answered, pushing the latch on the door open. “I’ll get Lisa and we’ll head over to meet up with you guys.”

 

“Be careful,” Lily said, frowning. She was still worried, I could tell, but I was certain a walk would do good. The breeze off the coast was usually brisk enough to rip away any dregs of sleep from a person.

 

“We will,” I said, nodding at her as Dinah climbed out of the car after me. Lily drove off and I stood there for a moment, letting the morning breeze ruffle my hair.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dinah asked. I opened my eyes and found her watching me with an expression similar to what I had seen on Lily’s face.

 

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m good. Come on, let’s head to the shelter. I’ll get you some ice cream after that.” She grinned and we started off toward Lisa’s place.

 

I felt more awake after we walked for a bit. As we turned the corner onto the street where the shelter Lisa ran was at, I felt the fog that had clung to me the whole morning fall away.

 

“Are things any better at school?” I asked Dinah.

 

“The boys have stopped being stupid, sort of,” she told me. “The girls are still stupid or jealous, though.”

 

“Jealous?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah,” she said. “The boys aren’t asking dumb questions, but they’re still paying a lot of attention to me and the girls don’t like that. Most of the girls, anyway. The rest are always trying to suck up to me.” Dinah gave me a sideways look as she said that.

 

“Why?” I asked. “And what’s that look for?”

 

“They suck up because I know you and they want to meet you,” she said, rolling her eyes.

 

“Me?” I asked, then snorted. “What would they want to meet me?”

 

“Duh, you’re awesome,” Dinah said. “You kicked Leviathan’s butt, for one?”

 

“It wasn’t that impressive,” I protested.

 

Dinah rolled her eyes again. “Ninety five point seven percent chance you’re a dork, Taylor.”

 

 _Ninety five point seven._ I felt a chill run down my back. “Why that percentage?”

 

She shrugged. “I made it up. It was a joke.”

 

I forced a laugh and ruffled her hair. “Okay, okay. The girls at your school have some weird hero-worship or something at me. What sort of ice cream do you want later?”

 

Dinah gave me a look at my changing the subject. “Pistachio Butterscotch.”

 

“That sounds disgusting,” I said, making a face. “Is that even a real flavor?”

 

“Twenty bucks says it is,” she retorted, grinning at me.

 

“First,” I said, eyeing her sternly. “Who taught you to gamble? Second, I would never take that sort of bet against someone who can see the future.”

 

“Eighty percent chance you’re smarter than you look,” she told me, grinning.

 

“Now you’re just being a smartass,” I grumbled.

 

“Sixty seven percent chance you’re right,” Dinah said.

 

“Okay, stop that,” I replied with a grin tugging at my lips.

 

“Seriously, though, who taught you?” I asked.

 

“Ninety-nine point six percent chance that something is wrong with Lisa,” Dinah said, her face suddenly pale. Her hand grabbed mine and squeezed as I followed her gaze.

 

There was a crowd growing around the building that I knew was the shelter and from the breaks in the people, I could see that the windows were broken. What was more, the inside was filled with a roiling mass of shadow that seemed to boil past the shards of glass every so often.

 

_Lisa._

 

“What the hell,” I said aloud, staring, starting forward. Dinah’s hand clung to mine and I glanced at her.

 

“Dinah, can you wait here while I go deal with this?” I asked. Her lips moved as if she were saying something, then she shook her head, tightening her grip on my hand.

 

“Dinah?”

 

“I have to stay with you,” she said, looking around with a sick expression. “The numbers …”

 

Numbers? Damn, she had seen something. “Okay. Don’t let go of my hand then.” She nodded and I started forward again, pushing past the milling crowd. Whispers sprang up around us and the people began moving out of my way. I stopped in front of the shelter, staring at the broken doorframe and the glass on the walk.

 

Then, still holding Dinah’s hand, I stepped forward into the shelter.

 

Sight vanished as soon as we crossed the border of that mass of shadow. Sound faded as well, but I was not bothered. I remembered this feeling, like a weight pressing down over me. And I remembered trying to counter it. It had been difficult then, but now, I knew what to do..

 

My powers touched it and with a few adjustments, the darkness was shoved away. Sound and color returned in a space around us.

 

“What happened here?” Dinah asked in a soft voice, looking at the signs of broken furniture near where we stood.

 

“I don’t know,” I said, feeling my worry for Lisa increase. “But we can’t find out unless we can see. So, hold still.” I stretched my power out, using what I had learned about repelling the darkness along with an imitation of Stormtiger’s abilities.

 

Air swirled around us and the shadows were ripped away, undone by my power, to reveal devastation. Furniture was shattered, tables and chairs broken into so much kindling. There were people laying about too, groaning weakly, but alive. But I did not see Lisa.

 

“Stay close,” I said, picking my way through toward where Lisa’s office was. The door was splintered and I saw a hand visible through the broken pieces. Dinah moved with me as I shoved the pieces of a desk away. There, face down, was Lisa.

 

“Lisa?” I said, touching her shoulder. She didn’t move and I gave it a nudge. “Lisa?”

 

The moment I jostled her, she recoiled, scrambling away with choked denials clearing her throat. She flopped away awkwardly, the way her arm was hanging suggesting that it was broken. My breath caught in my throat as I saw her face, a mass of bruises and dried blood.

 

“Lisa! It’s me, Taylor!” I said, holding my hands out placatingly. “It’s just me.”

 

“-aylor?” she mumbled.

 

“Yes, it’s me,” I nodded. “What happened? Is whoever did this still here?”

 

“... -you,” she murmured, the words too low to make out. I started to ask for more information when a rush of movement behind me prompted me to grab Dinah and pull her in front of me. I saw a dark-clothed figure erupt from the nearby closet, swinging something at me.

 

My field pinged and the motion of was arrested, doubled, and reversed, sending him tumbling away through part of the wall.

 

“Stay by Lisa,” I told Dinah, straightening.

 

“But-” she began.

 

“I know,” I said. “But I need to make sure this guy doesn’t try anything. I won’t leave your sight, I promise.”

 

Dinah nodded and settled down near Lisa, whispering quietly as I took a step away, eyeing the spot through which the attacker had been thrown.

 

Shadows roiled up and flooded the space between us, heading toward me.

 

“Really?” I said, anger fueling my words. “Is that the best you can do? Something that doesn’t work?” I disrupted these before they could spread past me in time to see the man leap through.

 

I caught a flash of light off a black motorcycle helmet before a tilt of my head sent him crashing into the wall to my left. “That doesn’t work either. Not so great when you’re the one getting swatted, is it?” I didn’t know for sure if he was the one who had done this to Lisa, but it stood to reason.

 

“Bitch,” the rumbling voice came from beneath the helmet. “All your fault.”

 

“Sure, blame me for it,” I shrugged. “It makes what I’m about to do easier.” I tapped my foot on the floor and it erupted beneath him, sending him rolling away with a pained cry.

 

“That sounds like it hurt,” I observed, faking a wince. “Did it sound that way when you broke Lisa’s arm?” I felt my voice raise with the last word as I stepped over to him. His legs kicked out immediately, aiming for mine. Again, my field pinged and his leg was jerked back with an audible crack.

 

“That definitely hurt, didn’t it?” I asked as more profanity was thrown at me. “Well, I don’t think you’re going to be going anywhere like that, so you can just lay there until someone comes to arrest you.”

 

Another profane word was snarled and I saw him pull himself up, using a broken section of wall. Then with another snarled insult, he started trying to limp away.

 

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I said, nudging a crate of bottles that were overturned at my feet. They ripped through the air toward him, shattering against his body. He went down and did not get up this time.

 

I turned back to where Lisa and Dinah were.

 

“Still with me?” I asked.

 

“I think she is,” Dinah said. “She’s been mumbling, but …”

 

“Damn,” I fished in my pocket, dialing Colin as soon as I had his number up.

 

“Taylor?” he asked as he picked up. “What do you need?”

 

“I’m at the shelter on twenty-third,” I said with a calmness I did not feel. “I need someone to pick up a criminal and an ambulance or something quickly.

 

“How bad?” he asked.

 

“One person beaten badly, broken arm. Others beaten. I don’t know if anyone is dead or not.” I said, then closed my eyes, though it didn’t erase the image of Lisa’s face from my mind. “The one I think responsible is out cold. Not dead, by the way. I didn’t make more problems for you this time.” I winced as I said the last. Had the nightmare while in the car really gotten to me that much?

 

“Thanks?” Colin asked, sounding a bit bewildered.

 

“Never mind that,” I said, sighing. “I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Sorry. I do need someone quickly though. She’s really beat up.”

 

“I’m sending people now,” he said, his voice sounding distant. “You’ll be there?”

 

“Yeah, I’m keeping an eye on this loser,” I said, glancing toward where the man still laid.

 

“They’ll be there in five,” he said, then cut the call off.

 

I blanked the screen on the phone and shoved it into my pocket. That done, I knelt near Lisa and slipped one of my hands into the one of hers on the arm that was unbroken. She didn’t respond but I squeezed reassuringly while watching the rise and fall of her breathing.

 

Why had he done this? I glanced toward the still unmoving form of the attacker. Anger surged when I looked at him and I had to fight the urge to get up and inflict more damage to him.

 

“Will she be alright?” Dinah asked me.

 

“You don’t know?” I replied, surprised.

 

She shook her head. “I don’t want to look at the numbers again.”

 

I felt an eyebrow go up and noted that she still looked pale. “What did you see before?”

 

The color fled her face and she pressed her lips together before shaking her head once in refusal. I gave her a worried look, but she remained silent to any of my inquiries.

 

Danica, the PRT agent I had met after saving Dinah the first time, showed up a short time later, along with the paramedics.

 

“You look tired,” I said as I rose to meet her.

 

“You too,” she said, giving a weak grin. “There’s been a lot of issues the past day. The E88 being a pain, for one.”

 

I turned away to hide my wince. Had I made more problems for Colin by letting Purity in and tacitly agreeing to help her? “Just not enough sleep for me.”

 

“I know how that is,” she remarked, looking down at the man I had taken out. “This him?”

 

“Yeah,” I nodded.

 

Danica crouched and quickly cuffed his wrists, then straightened. “Get this guy secured. Foam if he gives you any trouble.” Several uniformed agents came over and drug the man off.

 

“She’ll be okay,” Danica said, following my gaze to where the paramedics were attending to Lisa. “You two want to ride to the hospital with her? I’ve got Panacea on call if we need here. Though, I think she might actually be at Brockton Bay Memorial already.”

 

“Riding with her sounds good,” I said, then frowned. “Shit, I need to call Lily.”

 

“The one who’s staying at your place?” Danica asked. As I nodded, she continued. “I saw her arriving before I went out. Had a lady and two kids with her?”

 

“That’s them,” I confirmed. One of the paramedics rose and approached.

 

“We’re going to get her on a stretcher and to the hospital,” he said. “We’ve done all we can here.”

 

“It’s fine if we ride with?” I asked, indicating myself and Dinah.

  
The medic looked at me, his eyes widening. “That is completely fine, Ms. Hebert.”

 

“Thank you,” I told him, watching as they carefully put Lisa on the stretcher and wheeled her clear. Other medics were checking over the rest of the people in the shelter as we left. Lisa was loaded onto the ambulance and they made space for Dinah and I.

 

I laid my head back against the ambulance wall, worry for Lisa almost overpowering.

 

“Ninety three point six percent chance that this is all your fault,” Dinah said beside me.

 

My head snapped to the side and I stared at her. “What did you say?”

 

“I said it isn’t your fault?” Dinah asked with a confused note before peering at me. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been jumpy all morning.”

 

I took a deep breath. “Still bothered by the nightmares, I guess.”

 

“Did you want to talk about it?” she asked.

 

_I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. My hands beat against the door and I cried out, but heard only laughter …_

 

I shook my head. “No.”

 

“Did you need anything?” one of the medics asked, glancing at me. “You’re awfully pale. I have something for upset stomach …”

 

“Thank you, no,” I said. “Just some bad memories.” He nodded, but gave me a concerned look before focusing back on one of the machines that lined the interior of the ambulance.

 

* * *

 

Waiting, I decided, really sucked. They had taken Lisa back into the operating room and were working to fix whatever they could. Amy wasn’t here and I had even tried her number, but only gotten voice mail.

 

“Taylor,” Lily called out, approaching as quickly as possible with two familiar faces in tow.

 

“Phillipe, Shawna,” I said, stunned at their appearance. “Why’re you two here?”

 

“Thought we’d come visit,” Phillipe said. “You’ve had some adventures without us, haven’t you, chica?”

 

“Are you alright?” Shawna asked, giving me a hug. “You look …”

 

“I’ve heard,” I said, turning my head to the door they had taken Lisa through.

 

“She okay?” Lily asked.

 

“I hope she will be,” I sighed. “No word from Amy yet.”

 

“I’m sure they’ll get her here as soon as possible,” Lily reasoned, resting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded and sat down beside Dinah. The others did likewise and we waited.

 

Twenty minutes passed and a haggard looking surgeon emerged.

 

“Ms. Hebert?” he asked. “We’ve done all we can. She was hurt severely enough that we’re going to keep her in ICU overnight. As soon as we can, we’ll have Ms. Dallon help her.

 

“Is she awake?” I asked.

 

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Between the injuries and the anesthetics, she’ll be asleep for a while. I can arrange to have you informed as soon as there’s any change, if you want?”

 

“Please,” I said. He called a nurse over and she gathered the needed information from me.

 

“Come on,” Phillipe said, resting a hand on my other shoulder. “I know you’re worried, but you look like you’re about to fall over. Lets get you something to eat.”

 

“I …” the words started to be a protest before I swallowed. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

 

A cup of hot tea occupied my hands as I sat on the couch. From my place, I could see Phillipe cooking, wearing an apron and obnoxiously large chef’s hat.

 

I wondered who had given us that.

 

“Now here,” he was saying, gesturing grandly before stirring something in a pan, “we have an ancient recipe passed down from before those spanish invaders defiled my people.”

 

“Oh, here he goes again,” Shawna interrupted. “He’ll be detailing how it was only served to Aztec royalty, of which he’s the last, next.”

 

“Just because you don’t have greatness in your family, chica,” he began.

 

“Didn’t you know?” she asked sweetly. “My many times removed grandmother was _Queen of the Nile_.”

 

“My grandfather is the _Tenno Heika_ ,” Lily said, rolling her eyes as the other two gave her blank looks. “Emperor of Japan? Don’t you learn anything in history?”

 

“Not about heathen lands like that, no,” Phillipe murmured, then looked at me. “How about you, Taylor? Any famous people?”

 

“No,” I said. “Just me, I guess.”

 

“Oh, Taylor doesn’t need famous people for ancestors,” Shawna said airily. “She thinks the world revolves around her, after all.”

 

I blinked, stung. “I don’t think that at all.”

 

“No?” Lily asked. “Who is it that expects the Protectorate to clean up after her when she kills a bunch of people, or burns down the docks?”

 

My head turned to look at her. “I don’t expect anything like that at all!”

 

Don’t I? The thought slipped across my mind as I thought of how little I had done to help fix the mess my fight with Lung had made.

 

“Never mind the docks,” Phillipe said. “Let’s talk about her being so much of a freak that we’re sent here to keep an eye on her.”

 

I shook my head, pressing back into the couch as if it could hide me. “What are you saying?”

 

“We’re saying we’ve been yanked away from family, again,” Shawna told me, “All to take care of a monster.”

 

My mouth moved, but no sounds emerged.

 

“I think I was right before,” Lily remarked. “Your dad probably did run off to get away from you. Probably happy to be away from a burden like you.”

 

Phillipe shook his head. “Disgusted by her, I bet. He probably saw her in the air fighting Lung and realised that his daughter was a freak.”

 

“A freak?” I echoed, standing up. My cup of tea fell to the floor, shattering. “Is that really what you think of me?”

 

“No,” Shawna said. “Not a freak. A monster.”

 

“No, a burden,” Lily stated. “Wrecks everything and does nothing to help fix the problems she creates.”

 

Phillipe moved forward on my left. “A freak, who survives temperatures that would kill anyone else.”

 

Shawna advanced on my right. “A monster. That’s what people see when they look at you.”

 

I shook my head, backing up. “No.”

 

“No?” Phillipe asked, mimicking my voice. “Denying what’s right in front of you. You’re a freak.”

 

“A burden,” Lily snapped.

 

“A monster,” Shawna said.

 

My breath came in short gasps as the three of them herded me backward until my back hit the wall.

 

“Monster.”

 

“Burden.”

 

“Freak.”

 

I squeezed my hands over my ears, trying to block them out. “I’m not!”

 

The words continued hammering me and I looked wildly between them, my eyes burning. Why were they saying these things? Their expressions were full of loathing and as I watched, they shifted slightly, allowing a bit of space, that Dinah stepped into.

 

“Dinah …” I said, trying to push the echoes of words from my mind. “Tell them they’re wrong… “ I trailed off as her lips twisted in a malicious grin.

 

“One hundred percent chance that you’re a freak, a burden, and a monster,”

 

I cried out, shoving myself forward while a litany of words battered at me. My knees struck something and I felt my power trigger. I opened my eyes in time to see the coffee table explode into splinters.

 

“What the hell, Taylor?” I heard someone cry out and I looked around wildly. Phillipe, Lily, and Dinah were staring at me. Shawna was directly opposite the couch I had been sitting on, clutching at her upper arm, where a jagged piece of wood had pierced.

 

She took a steadying breath and Phillipe cleared his throat. “I know Shawna’s jokes are terrible, chica, but freaking out from your nap because of one is a bit much.”

 

A nap? Another nightmare? I looked around again, unable to form words as the blood pounded in my ears.

 

 _Freak. Burden._ The words rang out and my eyes settled back on Shawna’s arm. _Monster._

 

I fled up the stairs blindly, ignoring their cries to stop. The hallway spun around me as I flung open my room’s door and slammed it close behind me. I twisted the lock and stumbled toward the bed in the dark. Knocking made me jump and their voices called out, pleading for me to come out.

 

I climbed onto the bed instead, burrowing under the covers. When that did nothing to muffle their sounds, I used my powers and silence descended. The covers came up over my head, blocking the rest of the light around me.

 

_Burden. Freak. Monster._

  
\--


	52. Chapter 52

_Lung was dead but the buildings on the docks still burnt. I stared at the ruin of what had been my dad’s office, obliterated by one of the attacks thatI had thrown. I was afraid to dig through the rubble for fear of what I would find._

_“Monster,” I heard someone say._

I woke again with a choked-off scream. My eyes found the clock immediately. Six-thirty in the morning.

 

 _At least I got more sleep this time_ , I thought as I laid there, letting my breathing calm. I felt drained and hollow, the urge to pull the covers back over my head and shut out the world almost overpowering.

 

I fought it off, pushing them back instead and sitting up. The events from the evening before played back through my head and I shuddered.

 

Had I been that upset from dreaming of the locker? I hadn’t even thought of it in some time. Did the helplessness I felt over not knowing how to find my dad bring that to mind? Or even make me imagine them saying those things to me?

 

I drew my knees to my chest, trying to make sense of my thoughts.

 

The sound of someone moving around in the hall prompted me to look up and frown. Hadn’t I cut off sound when I had collapsed into bed? I ran the last few minutes through my memory from before I had passed out.

 

Finally, I shook my head. I couldn’t remember conclusively whether I had or not. I took a deep breath and pushed the thought aside. Then I wrinkled my nose.

 

Shower. I needed one.

 

The flow of hot water helped me feel more like myself though the various jets positioned around the shower made me blink. Some of them were placed oddly…

 

I flushed under the spray as I realized what they could be used for. Did they really design showers like that? My hair fanned out as I switched off the water, putting away thoughts of weird tinkertech showers.

 

The kitchen was silent as I went downstairs, whoever had been moving around nowhere in evidence. I turned toward the window and immediately winced at the bright light of the sunrise.

 

My forehead creased as I squinted. Why was I being bothered by the sunlight? I hadn’t felt any pain from something like that since I got my powers.

 

As quickly as the thought entered my head, I felt my field adjust. Like a switch had been thrown, the stinging faded.

 

There was something… I frowned as I tried to determine what had just happened. Was I suppressing my power when I slept? Was my emotional state affecting them? Too stressed or too relaxed?

 

I dismissed the latter. The hot shower had been relaxing, but wasn’t that relaxed. No, this was something else.

 

“Oh, hey, Taylor,” Phillipe said, coming into the kitchen from the hall. I nodded and stepped to the refrigerator, still thinking on what had happened.

 

“So, are you okay?” he asked as I took out orange juice. “You were freaking out last night …”

 

“I guess,” I answer, pouring a glass as something occurred to me. “Is Shawna okay?”

 

He waved a hand. “Not as bad as it looked. I bandaged her up. Shouldn’t even leave a mark.”

 

“I am so sorry-”

 

His knuckles rapped my forehead. “It was an accident. Worrying over your dad has you not knowing what’s left or right. It happens.”

 

“I suppose so.” I opened my mouth to say something else, then closed it, stepping back to look at him. “What are you wearing?”

 

Phillipe grinned and flexed, the shirt stretching across his chest. “About to go for a run. Build up my endurance.”

 

“A run?” I asked. “Doesn’t your power…?”

 

“It helps, sure,” he shrugged. “But I have to get moving before it really kicks in. The faster I can go before that, the better.”

 

“Makes sense,” I gave him another look, shaking my head at the tiny shorts he had on. “Want some company?”

 

Phillipe blinked. “Sure, if you’re up for it.”

 

“Let me change clothes,” I said, indicating my robe. “This isn’t really going for a run wear.”

 

“Well, I suppose you could,” he joked. “But I don’t think it would stay belted long.” He headed for the door.

 

“I’ll be outside waiting,” I heard over my shoulder as I went to my room.

 

I made it back down quickly and locked the door before we set out.

 

* * *

 

Twenty minutes in and I could feel Phillipe glaring at me.

 

“What?”

 

“You’re totally cheating,” he grumbled. “You don’t even look winded.”

 

“Can’t help it. There’s a passive aspect to my powers that adjusts and counters anything that is a detriment to my physically. Deficiencies in oxygen, the amount of kinetic energy applied to impacts made by my extremities … “ I kept explaining and after a moment, saw him staring at me.

 

“Okay, seriously, what?” I asked.

 

“I only understood like a third of that, maybe,” he said. “So, lack of air, and no injuries from your feet hitting the ground?”

 

“All accounted for,” I confirmed with a sigh. “I can turn it off, but that requires active effort on my part to keep it that way. Easier to just edit things as I need, to be honest.” I slowed for a moment, making adjustments to the variables of my power so that it was set the way I wanted.

 

“There,” I said as I quickened my pace to catch up. “Now I’m not cheating, as you put it.” Phillipe grinned and sped up and I focused on trying to keep up with him.

 

* * *

 

“How,” I gasped out as I tried to catch my breath, “do you do this everyday?”

 

Phillipe patted my head. “I’ve been doing this for months, chica.”

 

“You suck,” I announced as I swatted at his hand.

 

“If it makes you feel better to think that,” he replied. “I would suggest you go take a shower. It’ll help the ache. Also, you’re starting to stink.”

 

“Way to flatter,” I scowled at him.

 

“Honesty works best,” he retorted. “Anyway, you did good. Kept up with me for most of the way.”

 

“Whatever,” I made a rude gesture while grinning at him. He grinned back and I stretched.

 

“Okay, I’m going to enjoy my high-tech shower again since I, as you say, stink.”

 

“That good?” he blinked. “The one I’m using is pretty normal.”

 

“Oh, completely,” I replied, bending down to untie my shoes. “It has jets everywhere, even some that are …” My mouth closed with a click and I felt my face heat up with something that had nothing to do with exercise.

 

Phillipe didn’t appear to notice. “Even some that are …?”

 

“Nothing!” I said quickly, embarrassed over what I had almost said. “I’m going now.”

 

“Okay …” he trailed off and I heard him muttering to himself as I went to the shower again.

 

* * *

 

When I came back down again, Dinah, Lily, and Shawna were up and about.

 

I winced as I saw the bandage around Shawna’s arm. Unbidden, the words that had assailed me in my nightmares resurfaced. Monster.

 

“I am so so sorry, Shawna,” I stammered. “I didn’t mean to-”

 

She placed a finger over my lips. “I’m fine, don’t beat yourself up over it. Anyway, on the scale of things, at least you hit harder than Phillipe. He’s a wimp.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“The point is,” Lily said, stepping in to head off conversation. “You’re entitled to a bit of stress. Just don’t freak out and hide from us again, alright?”

 

I tried to form words, but failed as Dinah walked over and hugged me.

 

“So,” I finally managed. “Breakfast?”

 

“You,” Shawna said, pointing imperiously, “sit. Stressed girl needs to relax.”

 

She rounded on Phillipe. “You, however, stink. Go get a shower.”

 

I acquiesced, heading toward the table and taking a seat. Phillipe muttered uncharitably and departed up the stairs, grumbling the whole way.

 

* * *

 

“How did things go at the PRT with Kayden?” I asked as we sat around the table, the dishes empty of breakfast.

 

“They’re providing security for her and her family,” Lily told me. “Colin wanted you to come by as soon as you can so that they can sort out some details or another. Also said he had something for you.”

 

“Any idea what?” I asked, blinking. Something for me?

 

She shook her head. “None, sorry.”

 

“Ooh, ooh, I know!” Shawna said. “He’s going to confess his secret love to you.”

 

“First,” I snorted. “He’s like twice my age, so no, no matter how nice a smile he has.”

 

“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place for secret crushes,” Lily said with a sly grin. “Is Taylor in love?” She drew out the last word, drawling deliberately to make it sound almost obscene.

 

My eyes rolled. “Me and Colin? That’s as likely as me becoming a telekinetic mime and seducing Amy Dallon.”

 

I looked at them as they were staring at me. “What?”

 

“A telekinetic mime,” Phillipe began.

 

“Seducing Amy Dallon?” Shawna asked.

 

“Sometimes, your head is a weird place, Taylor,” Lily finished.

 

“One hundred percent chance that you are a weirdo,” Dinah deadpanned.

 

“Fine, fine,” I said, standing and heading toward the window. “Gang up on me, will you? I know it was funny, at least.” I affected an air of depression and pressed my forehead to the window. Behind me, I heard laughter as they began moving around, cleaning up the table.

 

My field pinged as I stood there. I frowned. What was that?

 

The field spread out from where I had contact with the glass. Each individual particle that made up the structure was felt and its motion observed. My eyes widened slightly.

 

_There._

 

Threaded through the composition of the glass was an element foreign to it. A frequency that vibrated along the structure, modulated in such a way that it would…

 

A crack ran down the surface of the window. I spun away, alarmed. My eyes scanned the room as I drew breath. Phillipe, Shawna, and Lily were cleaning off the table. Dinah, in her seat, was holding a glass close to her, preparing to tip it up and drink.

 

“Away from glass!” I shouted, lunging toward Dinah.

 

Every window and piece of glass in the room exploded as I crashed into the girl, stretching my field out to try and deflect any pieces even as they spun in the air, glistening and catching the light. Dinah and I tumbled to the floor and I heard her release a pained cry. Around us, I heard the others cry out, fear and panic clear.

 

Then, abruptly, the cacophony of shattered glass stopped. I heard pieces falling to the ground with a distinct tinkle, but nothing more than that.

 

“Are you alright, Dinah?” I asked, rising and looking her over. I felt something warm on my hands and froze, then looked down.

 

“I’m… hah… okay,” she said, making pained sounds. There, on her side, was a piece of glass and a slowly growing red stain on her clothing.

 

“Oh god, no,” I gasped, trying to stop the blood without hurting her more. My power. I could do something, couldn’t I? I started to adjust the flow of blood, then stopped, shaking. No. I didn’t know enough about how blood flowed to do that. It could hurt her more.

 

“Shit, shit, shit,” I swore. “Phillipe!”

 

“What- oh hell,” he said, appearing at my side.

 

“Get her to the hospital,” I ordered, my eyes on that rapidly spreading stain.

 

“Taylor, this-” he began.

 

“Do it!” I snapped. “You can go faster than any of us and I don’t think we can treat this here!” I couldn’t pull the glass out, that would just make it worse. What could I do?

 

“Taylor,” Lily said, crouching beside me, her face pale. “The glass shattering… this is probably the work of Shatterbird.”

 

“I don’t give a damn if it’s the fucking Simurgh!” I snarled. “She’s hurt and I can’t fix this! Get her to the hospital!”

 

“Um, guys?” Shawna asked, tearing off a strip of shirt and wrapping it around Phillipe’s arm. “I’m scouting the area with my powers. All this glass makes it easy… There’s a woman approaching. And she has glass all around her, moving.”

 

Her expression looked ill. “I think it is the Shatterbird. And she’s coming this way.”

 

Fury consumed me.

 

“Phillipe,” I said, my voice echoing strangely in my ears. “Get Dinah to the hospital. Lily, Shawna, cover him out the back, then get moving too.”

 

“What are you going to do?” Lily demanded, staring at me. “You can’t seri-”

 

I started toward the front door. “I’m going to give you a distraction.”

 

“Taylor, this is one of the Slaughterhouse Nine!” she protested. “I don’t think this is a good idea!”

 

“I don’t care!” I shouted. “She controls glass, right? You’ll be targets and I don’t want you guys hurt, so just fucking do it already!”

 

“Come on,” Phillipe said, crouching to lift Dinah carefully. “Shawna, give me a path. Lily, get your weapons.”

 

“How are you going to distract her?” Shawna asked as they began moving.

 

“I’m going to kill her,” I said, turning to look at the three of them for a moment before starting forward to the front. “That should distract her.”

 

I forced my breathing to even out and walked confidently out the door, ignoring the glass that shifted around me.

 

The street that the new house sat on was a fairly busy one; even at early hours, there were cars going up and down it. Now, the cars sat at varying angles, windows and mirrors shattered. People were in every one I passed, some unconscious, some screaming.

 

I paid them little mind as my eyes settled on the woman hanging in the air above the street. She soared in lazy circles like a vulture, maybe twenty feet off the ground, with her long, dark hair flapping in the wind. Jagged shards of stained glass clung to her body like scales and trailed through the air around her in a cloud shaped eerily like bat wings. She looked like something out of a bad horror flick, like some kind of demented cross between a circus performer and a vampire, but even in the grip of my rage I still felt a little chill at the sight.

 

“Taylor Hebert,” she purred. “I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

 

I didn’t reply, instead looking around at the cars and the broken glass strewn everywhere. I felt a spike of outrage at the carnage, adding fuel to the already-roaring fire, but shoved it aside. I'd make sure this bitch regretted this before long, but I'd need a clear head to do it. I glanced around to search for weapons.  The glass was shifting around idly, as if being directed by something unseen. I placed a foot on one piece, pinning it down as my powers traced what she was doing.

 

“You know of me, I’m sure,” she was saying as I turned my attention back to her. “And I’ve come with an offer.”

 

“Why do this?” I asked, my voice coming out in a soft, dangerous hiss.

 

“This?” She gestured and I saw the glass shift. In a car somewhere, I heard someone scream. Had she moved the glass that was embedded in them? “Announcing myself. Letting the cattle know to cower before me. Before us.”

 

“Us?” I repeated faintly, tracking how her power affected the glass beneath my foot. What was this stupid bitch babbling about?

 

“Of course,” she went on. “Our power makes us different, better. Why shouldn’t we exercise it? You understand this, I am certain.”

 

“Oh, go fuck yourself,” I said, still only half-listening. Manipulation of the particles within the glass itself was how she made them move. Silicakinetic?

 

“You have power,” she stubbornly continued. “You’ve wielded it. Was it not exhilarating to hold such preeminence over the cattle? To know that your hand turns the wheel of their fate?”

 

I raised my head to look at her as the last detail of what she was doing was unraveled. Whatever she was babbling about, I was no longer interested in listening. I had enough figured out now.

 

The stained glass of her wings abruptly shifted their shapes, forming multiple small bears that swarmed at her. She shrieked, startled and fell from the sky.

 

I stalked across the road toward where she had fallen, ignoring everything else.

 

She was trying to regain her feet when I found her, her ankle bent at an odd angle. The pieces of glass that I had taken for the bears were back in place as her wings. Had she used them to break her fall?

 

“That looks painful,” I remarked. Shatterbird stiffened at the sound of my voice and shards of glass immediately ripped through the air at me.

 

“That doesn’t work,” I said, halting them. The shards trembled in the air, inching forward and I frowned. It looked like my earlier read on her power’s frequency wasn’t quite as precise as I needed.  A simple gesture propelled her into the side of a car with enough force to imprint her torso in the metal.

 

“How are you doing this?” she demanded.

 

“You don’t know?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it make sense to know what you were facing before you went after someone. That’s what an intelligent person would do, right?”

 

I took a step forward. “But you clearly aren’t an intelligent person.”

 

More glass rose up, forming a wall in the space between us. I could see her trying to gain her feet, using the car for leverage. The wall shattered into sparkling powder as I approached

 

The glass around her that had served as her wings and armor shot toward me

 

“This again?” I asked. I understood exactly what she was doing to control the glass now and the pieces stopped in midair roughly a foot from me. I stared at them for a moment, then formed them into orbiting rings around me.

 

“How?” she demanded again and I could see fear in her eyes.

 

“You aren’t doing anything I can’t,” I snarled. “And I'm better at it than you are.”

 

“A while back,” I said, moving forward again, “I met a little girl who was being chased by a very bad man. He wanted her, for her power, or because he was a pedophile. Some reason or another, but his reasons why don’t matter. He killed her parents. Chased her to exhaustion and it was only because I was there that he didn’t get her.”

 

“He eventually blew up my house while I was in it to get rid of me,” I continued. I took a step forward and her arm bent too far, snapping with a painful sound. “It didn’t work.”

 

“You’re a f-freak,” Shatterbird gasped, dragging herself along with one arm. “S-stay away from me!”

 

“Now, my friends are taking her to the hospital. Because she got hurt by you!” The last word ended in a shriek as I gave vent to my temper.

 

The glass all around us rose up and I heard her scream as every piece converged where she lay. I didn’t stop until every piece of glass that I had control of was embedded in her body.

 

I moved to stand over her. One eye was open, staring at me and her lips were moving.

 

“Still alive?” I asked, leaning down with one hand extended. A piece of glass moved out of her shoulder, tearing the wound open further. “Let me see what I can do about that.”

 

Armsmaster arrived ten minutes later and found me standing over what was left of her. He stepped off his motorcycle and approached warily.

 

“Taylor?”

 

I looked up from my survey of what had been Shatterbird, then back. “Dinah got hurt.”

 

“I got word,” he nodded. “There’s others on their way to help with clean up. It’s like this all over the city, though.”

 

I looked around at the cars. “People who are hurt?”

 

A frown appeared and he stepped forward. “Are you alright?”

 

I stepped back. “Don’t.”

 

“Are you alright?” he repeated, sounding worried.

 

“I killed her,” I said. “All these people around who I could have helped and all I thought was, she hurt Dinah. So I killed her instead.”

 

Armsmaster was suddenly in front of me, gently placing his hands on my shoulders. “Listen to me, Taylor. She was one of the Slaughterhouse Nine. They all have kill orders. You helped them by killing her She’s been known to torture people by making the glass tear open wounds until she rips them apart.”

 

My eyes met his visor. “I think she was begging me to stop.”

 

“Damnit,” he muttered. “Listen, you can’t feel bad about this. She would have done worse to you if she were able.”

 

“I don’t,” the words made him draw back.

 

“You don’t what?” he asked.

 

“I don’t feel bad about what I did to her,” I said, a half-hysterical laugh bubbling up. “She was begging me to stop and I don’t feel bad about it. I wanted to hurt her more.”

 

His hands dropped my shoulders. “What are you saying?”

 

“The Nine,” I said. “They’re here in Brockton Bay?”

 

Armsmaster nodded curtly. “It appears so.”

 

“They’re here for me,” I finished.

 

He hesitated. “I don’t know. It is a possibility.”

 

“She said she had been wanting to meet me,” I told him, looking at what I had done to her. “I don’t think this is what she had in mind.”

 

“Listen,” Armsmaster said. “I want to get you, Dinah, and your friend Lisa out of here.”

 

“Out of here?” I asked.

 

“Out of Brockton Bay,” he explained. “If they’re here for you, then I want you gone.”

 

“Why?” I blinked, stung. “I’m not afraid of them.”

 

“Then you’re stupid,” he said bluntly, his jaw set in a scowl. “Members of the Nine have fought the triumvirate. Siberian, for one, has walked away without a scratch. Jack escapes despite our best efforts to create situations he cannot get away from. Crawler gets stronger, more resistant from the damage you do to him. And that’s just those three.”

 

“Bonesaw, Burnscar, Mannequin,” I murmured, recalling the lists I had seen online once. “And Hatchet-face.”

 

“Mannequin, Alan Gramme, is dead,” he said. “We don’t know who the replacement is, if anyone. They were down two before that.”

 

“And why should I leave, again?” I asked, returning to the earlier question.

 

His demeanor was grim. “If they are here, Taylor, it’s either to recruit you or kill you. Neither is an acceptable option.”

 

“I wouldn’t join them,” I began.

 

“Listen!” he hissed. “They twist you around. Bonesaw was a little girl that Jack Slash turned into an utter monster. If you’re here, he will find a way to get in your head and warp you. If that fails, he’ll kill you.”

 

My eyes moved around at the cars that were scattered around. “Not if I kill them first.”

 

“Are you even listening to me?” he demanded. “If you’re here, Taylor, we have to put people to protect you. That’s people that won’t be helping us deal with the Nine. You’re powerful, but if you’re their target, then you’re not an asset. You’re a burden.”

 

_Burden._

 

“What did you say?” I asked.

 

“I want you to go,” he told me. “I’ll arrange transport to get you, Dinah, Lisa, and your friends out of here.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said flatly. “This is my home. I didn’t get blown up, fight Leviathan, then Lung just to run away from a bunch of... of... worthless murderhobos!" I felt another hysterical laugh escape as I said that.

 

“Damnit, Taylor!” he growled. “This is crazy. You have no idea what sort of things they do!”

 

“I’m not leaving,” I stated. “I have to go make sure Dinah’s okay.”

 

“You won’t change your mind, will you?” he sighed.

 

“Wasting your breath,” I replied, starting toward the house.

 

“Fine,” he said. “Wait a moment.” I stopped and glanced back, seeing that he was at his bike. He opened a compartment and took something out.

 

“I’ve been working on this for a while,” he said. “A lot of it is based on the attack you used against Leviathan, with a few of my own contributions.”

 

He held it out to me. “I want you to keep this with you. I know you have powers, but it always helps to have something in reserve.” The object was a knife, in a black sheath. I drew it carefully, eyeing the blade. There didn’t appear to be anything unusual about it, but the end was heavy. What little I knew of knives suggested it was weighted poorly for its size.

 

“It imitates the effects of your attacks, as I said,” he explained. “It isn’t as powerful, obviously, as what you used against Leviathan, but should still be able to do a lot of damage to someone. I can’t test it, obviously, but it might even kill Siberian.”

 

“You said you were studying my attacks,” I said slowly. “What for?”

 

“That is amazingly powerful, Taylor,” he replied. “If we can replicate it, then we’ll have weapons we can use against the Endbringers if you’re not available.”

 

“Is that all?” I pressed, suddenly certain there was something he wasn’t saying.

 

Armsmaster stared at me for a moment, then looked to my left. “I won’t lie to you, Taylor. So, no, that isn’t all.”

 

I waited as he turned his face back to me. “I do not have your powers, or any powers beyond what I can build and train myself to do. If something happens to you, if you were to turn on us, I wanted to have a way prepared to stop you.”

 

I took a step back at his words. “Stop me? You mean you were trying to find a way to kill me.”

 

“If it were ever necessary,” he admitted. “I don’t believe it would be, but I believe in being prepared for everything.”

 

I didn’t say anything for a long moment, fighting the urge to yell. Finally, I looked at the knife, shoving it back into the sheath. “How does it work?”

 

“There’s a switch near the crosspiece,” he said. “I’m still working on the power supply, so it won’t run for long.”

 

“I press and stab it, then?” I asked.

 

“Correct,” he said with a nod. “I keyed it to your biometrics, so it won’t be anything more than a knife to anyone else.”

 

“Okay,” I adjusted my shorts and clipped it to them, then let my shirt fall to cover it.

 

“Where are you going?” he asked as I started back toward the house.

 

“Back in there and then to check on Dinah,” I replied.

 

“I’ll get some agents to stand guard,” he began.

 

“I’ll be fine,” I said sharply. “I just want a few minutes alone and then I’ll be on my way.” I did not look at him, or the mess on the road as I kept moving forward.

 

“Taylor...”

 

“Just go away, Colin,” I said, leaving him standing in the road.

 

* * *

 

The spot on the floor where Dinah had landed when I tackled her was stained rust-red with dried blood. I stood there, staring at it. Five minutes had turned into ten, then twenty. My thoughts raced, the words Colin had said about the knife warring with the ones about my being a burden. Intertwined were images of what I had done to Shatterbird.

 

I had killed Coil, but it wasn’t something I had enjoyed. With her, I had.

 

I bent double until nothing remained in my stomach. After a moment, I fumbled for the towels and covered the mess as best I could. An adjustment did away with the mingled smell of blood and vomit.

 

Why was I still here? Dinah was hurt, possibly dying, and I was still standing here. Moping.

 

I took a deep breath and grabbed a bottle of water, rinsing my mouth out.

 

“Time to go,” I said, nodding to myself. “No more of this.”

 

The wall opposite me was ripped away with a terrific crash, revealing a huge, monstrous thing.

 

“Fight me!” it roared before charging forward.

\--


	53. Chapter 53

Whatever it was, it came charging out of the dust and bounced off my field, limbs bent at odd angles. That appeared to not slow it down as it gained its feet faster than I thought possible. Quicker than such bulk suggested, it darted to my right, disappearing behind walls that were still standing.

 

“So, you’re Taylor Hebert, huh?” the rumbling voice asked. “Scrawny, aren’t you?”

 

“Crawler, I assume?” I asked, staring at the gaping hole before me. I tilted my head, listening for any hint to which direction he would come from.

 

“Heard of me, have you?” came his reply, from my left. How the hell? For something so big, he was quiet as well.

 

“You know I’m going to kill you, right?” I asked, feeling my temper spike as I continued to take in the sight of the wreckage. The refrigerator had been damaged in his entry or exit and a carton of milk lay on its side.

 

That will go bad if it isn’t kept cold. I drew a deep breath. My house was trashed thanks to another of the Nine and I was worried over milk going bad? I felt a hysterical laugh escape.

 

It was drowned out by Crawler laughing. “I know you’ll try.”

 

An obscene sound came from somewhere behind me. “I’m looking forward to it.”

 

I took a step forward, navigating the rubble. Why hadn’t he attacked again. Waiting on something? If so, what?

 

“You really are scrawny,” he remarked again. “You’re barely a snack.”

 

The wall to my right shattered and I had a brief glimpse of Crawler’s form before my powers reversed something liquid back the way it had came. There was a sizzling sound and then a deep sound of approval.

 

“More,” he drew the word out, with a sound like smacking your lips. “I want you to make it hurt.”

 

“I… don’t know how to respond to that,” I admitted. “But I’m not here to play games with you.”

 

“If you won’t,” he said, with what I thought was anger in his voice, “then maybe I should go play with your dad?”

 

I felt the world shift suddenly, like a sudden moment of vertigo.

 

“What.” The word was flat.

 

“Oooh, angry, are you?” Crawler rumbled. “He’s been our guest. He screams real good. Or he did.”

 

Dad.

 

They twist you. I heard Colin’s voice. Jack will find a way to get into your head. This. This was what he meant. They would use my dad for that. Crawler’s claim might not even be true. It probably was simply bait. It had to be.

 

But I didn’t care.

 

The house exploded around me as I screamed. Through the scattering debris, I saw Crawler tumbling, caught by the attack. The attack I’d used on Leviathan and Lung sprung into my hand, the air buzzing as I released it, straight at the alien shape that was Crawler.

 

He twisted in midair and the sphere clipped one of his arms, severing it. A pained roar escaped from his bulk as he continued to fall, distance growing between my attack and his main body.

 

No.

 

I detonated the attack, in imitation of what had happened when Lung launched plasma at it. The explosion was deafening to everyone else and Crawler’s screams took on a distinctly obscene tone.

 

His bulk crashed to the ground and I stalked forward, another attack already prepared.

 

“Yes!” Crawler surged upward, dancing away from my strike with an alien undulation that was wrong to behold. His leg and body were already healing, faster even than Lung had. I saw the blemishes smoothing away and a replacement limb steadying.

 

Adaptative regeneration. Becomes resistant to attacks if he survives them.

 

I would need to land a direct hit that took him out in one shot, then.

 

“My dad!” I yelled, a spray of broken timbers punctuating my shout. “Where you telling the truth? Answer me!”

 

“Come find out!” he taunted, charging at me suddenly. I swatted him to the side, watching him tumble. The projectiles I had launched were already pushed out of his skin. He made that moaning sound again and spun in a graceful arc, loping away, uncaring of what might be in his way.

 

I didn’t hesitate. I followed, the air propelling me forward. If he knew something about my dad, he would tell me.

 

And then he would die.

 

* * *

 

Chasing Crawler, I found, was easy. Pinning him down so I could see how many pieces I had to divide him into before I learned anything was another matter entirely. For all of his bulk, he was agile and clever.

 

“Tell me!” I roared, the storefront our fight had brought us through shattering. I heard people screaming as glass rained down and stone struck with shattering force, but paid them no mind. My eyes were on Crawler. The debris bowled him over, but did little actual damage to him.

 

Crawler’s only response was to laugh, a moaning sound that set my teeth on edge.

 

“Tell me!” I shouted, every window in range shattering as I did so. The shards fell in a rain that the wind caught and flung at him.

 

Most bounced off his skin. Those that did not were pushed out quickly, the wounds healing in an instant.

 

“Come on!” Crawler taunted, his voice a goad that drew a frustrated growl from me. “You can do better than this! Make it hurt, girlie!”

 

“Shut up,” I snapped, a forest of stone spikes ripping through the street after him. But like everything else I had thrown at him, it did little real damage.

 

“Make me bleed!” he retorted. “Make me stronger! More!”

 

Wind flayed the flesh from his body, tearing at steel and concrete with equal force. All it accomplished was to provoke more laughter from him as he healed from the damage.

 

“More!” he shrieked again.

 

“Fucking die!” I screamed, giving free rein to my temper. Crawler danced away from several cars that I flung toward him, veering away from the explosions, drawing me onward.

 

My blaze of temper faded abruptly, cold realization that I was being led settling in.

 

“Don’t quit on me now!” Crawler taunted from somewhere ahead. “Your dad was a lot more fun than this!”

 

Dad.

 

Anger surged again and I charged after him, screaming in fury. Light posts uprooted, brick, concrete, asphalt was torn away, flying at him at deadly speeds. He avoided most and recovered, like always, from what did hit.

 

My hands gripped the side of the building I was standing by, sinking into the brick. Stone and metal shrieked as it tore from its foundations, on a course direct for Crawler.

 

Dust and smoke billowed up as it all crashed down on him. I dispersed it as I stalked toward the rubble he had been buried under.

 

Crawler erupted from the collapsed building, shouting triumphantly.

 

No. I was done playing tag.

 

There was a crack as air was displaced by my movement, bringing me right in front of him. Crawler reared back in surprise, but had no time to react as I spun a tornado into being around him, lifting him from the ground.

 

“No more running away,” I said, allowing a dark smile as he cursed at me, unable to gain any traction due to twisting helplessly in the air.

 

“Bitch!” he roared, going into a wild spin as his tail lashed at me. It splattered into pieces as it struck my field. “Let me fucking go!”

 

“My dad,” I stated. “Was what you said true?” More profanity followed.

 

I growled and I saw an explosion of blood from Crawler. Had I just destroyed one of his eyes? “I will ask one more time. Where. is. my. dad?”

 

Crawler stopped rotating, but remained airborne. His features shifted in what I suppose was a sneer.

 

“Yeah, we had him. Had fun too. He screamed real good when I burnt his skin off.”

 

It felt like I stared for a long time as his words were understood. Then my hand touched his torso. I felt my powers trigger, deflecting a stream of acid back at him.

 

“You’re number two,” I said quietly.

 

“What the fu-” he began, his words cutting off into a choked scream as his torso exploded out his back. The scream was not like the ones before. This one was pain.

 

Even as I stood there, though, I could see it beginning to heal.

 

My fist came up and the punch I had used against Lung before I killed him was my next strike.

 

There wasn’t enough of Crawler left to regenerate after that.

 

I staggered back from the gore, drawing in a shuddering breath. There was no one around but I still felt the urge to hurt someone. Something shifted beneath my feet and I looked down.

 

The sign was for a small convenience store that had been a few streets over from the house. I looked around, barely recognizing the neighborhood as one I had spent so much time in. Had my chasing Crawler really taken me this far from the new house?

 

“Oh, wow,” a girl’s voice said. “You really killed him. I didn’t think that was possible.”

 

“Was he a bad man? He looked like one,” the same voice asked as I turned my head to look at the speaker. I took in her appearance, she was a small blonde girl around Dinah's age, and she wore a simple blue dress. I met her eyes and felt a chill at their too-wide pupils.

 

“He was,” I said. “I think he did something to my dad.”

 

“Oh, no, that wasn’t him,” she said with a frown.

 

“What.” My daze sharpened to cold focus on the girl, the anger that had begun to ebb after Crawler’s death returning.

 

“Oh, Mr. Ned didn’t do anything to your dad. He wouldn’t let him. Wanted it to be special.” She turned and began skipping away at a leisurely pace.

 

“Who are you?” I demanded furiously. I felt my power coil itself, like some serpent that was ready to strike.

 

“You don’t know me yet,” she said, glancing back. “But I know lots about you! When he told me, I was so excited. Everyone else is so old. Except for Mimi. But she’s just not right. Fire is so boring, you know?”

 

“You know about me?” I repeated. Mimi? Who the hell was she talking about?

 

“Mmmhmm!” she nodded. “I looked you up after he decided that you were going to join our family. I was so excited about the thought of getting a new big sister!”

 

"Bonesaw." The name slipped out in a whisper of terrible realization. Then the anger came rushing back. "What did you do to him?!"

 

"Uh-uh-uh," Bonesaw tutted at me. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to say 'please'?"

 

"Fuck please!" I thundered. "Where is he?!"

 

My power slipped its leash and I saw her head jerk back. She grunted and slowly tilted her head back to face me, one hand going up to cover the pulped mess in her left eye socket.

 

“That wasn’t very nice,” she said plaintively. “You're never going to get your present like that."

 

“Present?” I asked, staring at her. I had just made one of her eyes explode and she was talking about me not being nice and presents? “What the hell are you babbling about?”

 

“Oh, well, you see,” she began, spinning as if the ruined eye didn’t bother her in the slightest.. “When you get a new family member, you have to get presents to welcome them. So, I did. Jack helped me out with getting it. And your dad couldn’t wait for you to see it.”

 

She turned on her heel and began skipping away. “And if you want to see, it’s this way.”

 

“Where are we going?” I asked, suppressing the urge to reduce her to a smear on the pavement. Maybe if I played along, I could find my dad, or find something that would give me a hint where he was.

 

“It’s not far,” she said. She glanced back at me. “Between us, if we’re alone, you can call me Riley. But only if we’re alone. He doesn’t like it if I use any name but what he gave me.”

 

“He?” I asked, noticing the odd emphasis she placed on it.

 

“Jack,” she stated, the intonation odd. Her eyes grew a bit wider as she said it. “Getting you to be my new big sister was his idea! I liked the idea. Everyone else is so old. ”

 

“And what makes you think I’ll be your big sister?” I asked.

 

“Like I said,” she hummed, skipping forward before twirling in place. With a curtsy, she turned to face me. “I got you a present that I know you’ll just love.”

 

“Now, I wanted it to be something special,” she continued when I didn’t attack her. “Something that you wouldn’t forget. And it’s right over there!”

 

My eyes followed where she was pointing. The rubble of my old house. There was a broken wall that was upright, scorched by fire and soot. Had there been anything left standing after the explosion? I was barely coherent the last time I had seen it, during Leviathan’s attack, and couldn’t remember.

 

I looked at her for a moment, but she only gave me an encouraging smile and nodded her head. I started forward, alert for any signs of an ambush as I picked my way through the rubble. The wall split cleanly with a use of my power, revealing what it hid.

 

At first, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. It was twisted. Limbs in the wrong places or at odd angles, like you would see in a surrealist painting.

 

Then my eyes found the face. And the eyes… and I knew them …

 

“Dad?” I asked in a stripped whisper, shaking my head and stepping back. I ...

…

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

"...and he just wouldn't be quiet," she was saying, like she had been explaining for a while "It was so annoying. Jack couldn't stand it and I had to make it so he couldn't make any noise. It was so much better after that and I was able to really get working on him."

 

I was kneeling. When had that happened? My hair hung around my face and clung in places. Sweat? Slowly, I turned my head to look away from … that at her, my head tilted at an angle. She was standing less than five feet from me, looking from me to… that and back. My eyes met hers.

 

Eyes?

 

My breath came in sharp gulps suddenly as I turned my head back toward… that. One of the eyes was gone.

 

“You…” I said, my throat hurting as I spoke. Had I been screaming? I couldn’t remember. “You did t-this.”

 

“Mmmhmm!” she enthused, then blinked. “You mean the eye? Well, after you did that to mine, I did need a replacement and well, your present doesn’t really need them. I think it is an improvement, anyway. Should I take the other so he can’t stare? That bothers me almost as much as his screaming, you know.”

 

“You did this,” I repeated, slowly getting to my feet. I swayed as I stood, my arms hanging limply at my sides.

 

“I just said that,” she replied with a pout. “Is my present bad? Do you not like it?”

 

She exploded.

 

Fire consumed everything that remained.

 

I turned my eyes toward what had been my dad, my blood pounding in my ears.

 

“D-dad,” I gasped, my breath coming in sharp gasps again. I couldn’t fix this. I didn’t know if anyone could fix this. It was wrong.

 

I closed my eyes. I couldn’t leave him like this and I couldn’t fix it.

 

The ground around me splintered as I drew in a shuddering breath, trying to calm my racing pulse. But I couldn’t.

 

“D-dad,” I said again, choking off a sob as I took in the sight of what had been my father. I couldn’t fix this. And I couldn’t leave him here.

 

“I-I’m sorry,” I gasped, swallowing past the lump in my throat. My feet felt like lead as I stepped forward, raising a hand. Gently, I touched his face, then closed the remaining eye. I didn’t want his last sight to be what I was about to do.

 

“I love you, Dad,” I whispered, stepping back.

 

There was no effort at all as my powers twisted the environment. Fire consumed everything around me, leaving no trace.

 

I stood there, arms curling around my midsection. The broken ground rattled and I threw my head back, unable to contain myself.

 

“It isn’t fucking fair!” I screamed. The air twisted and between one syllable and the next, a twisting maelstrom of wind spun into existence around me. A howling vortex, with me at its center. My voice was barely audible over the howling air.

 

“Isn’t fair,” I repeated. All the things that had happened and this was the result? Lisa beaten to an inch of her life, Dinah bleeding in my arms, and now my Dad.

 

_Dad._

 

I teetered for a moment, feeling my power strain against my control. The temptation to let the tornado grow larger, to spin plasma into being and lay waste to everything was tempting. It might even silence the screaming pain I felt right now.

 

The wind died slowly and I lowered my arms, taking a deep breath. No. Not like that.

 

“I’ll find who did this, Dad,” I said quietly. “And I swear I’ll kill him.”

 

I looked up at the sound of slow clapping.

 

Standing on the edge of the space that had been my house was a man in a white shirt and jeans. A goatee framed a smile that set me on edge just to look at.

 

“Well, now that was pathetic,” he said, shaking his head. “Not quite the fireworks I was expecting.”

 

“Jack,” the word was so filled with hate that I didn’t recognize my own voice.

 

“Oh, angry,” he remarked with a lift of his eyebrows. “Not all sweetness and light. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Did you have to kill Bonesaw, though? I put a lot of time into getting her just right.” He drew a knife out of his pocket and began flipping the blade open, then closing it, repeating the action as he paced restlessly.

 

“I’m going to kill you,” I snarled. “Slowly.”

 

“See, I’m confused,” he went on, looking completely unconcerned at my threat even as his eyes remained fixed on me. Was he angry?. “All this power. You can do whatever you want. Hells, you threw an Endbringer over the horizon and then you decided to be a hero? To do good? Why? Is your plan to save cats from trees? It’s so stupid.”

 

“Say what you want, but you’re still gonna die,” I growled.

 

“Am I?” he asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

 

My foot came down on the ground.

 

Nothing happened. I blinked, then looked at the ground and stomped my foot again.

 

Still nothing.

 

“What the-” I began, looking up at Jack, whose smirk had grown.

 

“You really thought it’d be that easy?” he sneered, walking forward while I stepped back. What was going on? Had he done something with my powers?

 

“What,” I began, my throat suddenly dry. “What did you do? Something with Bonesaw? My dad?” I fell back as he advanced, shaking my head. My powers weren’t working. I could still calculate, but nothing was happening. What the hell was I supposed to do?

 

A meaty hand appeared across my field of vision, clamping over my face. One eye was uncovered, but the rest was blocked. My hands came up, clawing at the arm as I was forced backward. The arm might as well have been a tree trunk for all the effect that my struggles had on it.

 

“See, I was going to draw things out a bit more,” Jack was saying as I was drug along by whoever it was that held me, “Get you really wound up, but I wasn’t expecting Crawler to die.” He chuckled as I tried to shout. I abandoned my attempt to claw free and dug in my pockets for my phone. If I could call someone…

 

My hands found it and I drew back with a muffled hiss. The phone was wrecked. How?

 

 _Shatterbird_. I hadn’t even noticed it happen.

 

“Worse,” he growled and now I knew it was anger I was hearing, “you killed Bonesaw. I put so much work into her. She was a masterpiece and you ruined it.”

 

“You and I,” he continued as I kicked a leg at him. He sidestepped it without even looking and I snarled, trying to draw air against the hand pressed on my face. “We’re going to have a nice long talk. But first, I want you to think about what you’ve done. And I’ve got just the place for you to do that!”

 

I heard metal move. A door? The sound was familiar. The hand holding me tightened and I whimpered as the fingers dug in painfully. Then I was lifted.

 

My stomach heaved as the smells reached my nose. It was a smell I knew.

 

“N-” I tried to scream around the hand holding me as I was shoved downward. I swung my arms, my legs and earned nothing more than an irritated grunt.

 

Then I was pressed into it, the smell surrounding me. Rancid. Foul.

 

“We’ll talk soon,” Jack said as I tried to find purchase and get free. My hands were batted away and pressed down into a space that was cramped. The same for my legs. I tried to shift and press upward, but my elbows smacked into the sides, hindering them for that crucial second.

 

The door slammed shut and I heard a lock clicking.

 

_I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. My hands beat at the locker and all I heard was laughter._

 

 


	54. Chapter 54

Colin swore to himself as he navigated the rapidly growing fire. The heat was unbearable, even with his suit’s cooling systems, he was sweating. Burnscar was traipsing about at will, spreading more fire as she did so.

 

“Sitrep!” he snarled into his communication unit. “Has anyone got a visual on her?”

 

“She keeps moving as soon as we see her!” Battery’s replied.

 

“I hit her shoulder, but she was gone as soon as it made contact, so I don’t think it did much,” Assault’s voice picked up.

 

“I’m doing what I can to keep the fires contained to one area, but I’m running out of options, boss!” Velocity said tersely.

 

“Militia?” Colin asked.

 

“She never stays still long enough for me to draw a bead on her,” his lieutenant’s voice told him.

 

“If you get a bead on her, then take the shot,” he said. “That goes for everyone. Take her down however you have to.”

 

“Colin.”

 

“Dragon?” he blinked, the systems in his armor changing audio channels immediately. “What is it?”

 

“I have eta in five,” she said. “But I’m bringing bad news.”

 

“Crawler, I take it?” he asked. “Or Siberian?”

 

“No sightings on the Siberian yet,” she said. “But Crawler was seen. He’s left a trail of devastation across the city. Engaged in a running battle.”

 

“What?” he asked. “With who? I didn’t authorize any engagement!”

 

Even as he said the words, he knew what Dragon’s response was going to be.

 

“Taylor Hebert,” Dragon’s words set a weight in his stomach. “He assaulted her house and she engaged. My conclusion so far is that he’s luring her somewhere. What I can find of camera footage shows a distinct lack of direct conflict between the two.”

 

“Damnit,” he snarled. “Send one of your units to assist. I want her where I can see her.”

 

“Wait, I’ve got another feed,” she said. “It’s a few minutes old. Patching it through to you.”

 

“Shit,” he breathed as he watched the video play out, his systems monitoring reports of Burnscar’s movements, analyzing them. “Do we have confirmation on this?”

 

“Confirmed,” she told him. “I found another camera feed. Crawler is dead.”

 

“We’ve got fires spreading!” Battery’s voice called out, a note of panic in it. “She’s breaking out of the cordon!”

 

“Could someone kill this bitch already?” Assault demanded.

 

Colin opened his mouth to respond when something drew his attention. He half-turned and stared, eyes widening beneath the visor at the enormous funnel cloud swirling in the distance. The sky above the cloud warped in a way that made him ill to see.

 

“What the fuck is that?” Triumph demanded. The query was echoed by several others, panicked sounds coming across the communication lines.

 

Taylor. Colin felt worry grow for what had happened to provoke such a reaction from her. Even as he watched, the vortex dissipated, however.

 

In that same moment, the software he had constructed fed results to him and he felt a feral grin crease his lips. He took five steps forward, then leapt to the right as flames sprang up in front of him.

 

Turn. He moved to the left, a spray of flame retardant foam erupting from an opening on his halberd.

 

Step. Four large steps took him out of the range of a pillar of fire.

 

There. He thrust the halberd forward, triggering the adjustments he had made recently. Pink-white light surrounded it for a moment, twisting and writhing rapidly. The blade made contact, piercing flesh as Burnscar materialized. Her face twisted for a moment, then she slumped forward with a keening wail as the effects of the weapon obliterated the lower half of her body.

 

“Burnscar down,” he said grimly. “I repeat, Burnscar is terminated.”

 

A cacophony of noise broke out over the line and he winced before adjusting the volume immediately.

 

“We need to move,” he began. “Get these fires contained so we can get moving. Burnscar was likely a diversion from their real target.”

 

“Who?” Ms. Militia asked.

 

“I believe Jack is here after Taylor.” he said, wincing at the silence that descended in the wake of his words. “We need to find her before-”

 

“Siberian sighting, Colin,” Dragon’s voice interrupted over his private line. “She’s at the boardwalk.”

 

“Gods damnit!” he shouted, glancing toward where the tornado had been. “Belay that. Contain the fires. Then we are moving to engage the Siberian.”

 

He didn’t listen to the noise that emerged, worry filtering through his mind as he began working to clear the fire around him.

 

* * *

 

Breathe in slowly.

 

Breathe out.

 

The panic as I slammed my hands against the metal closed around me made the task difficult. Memories I had ignored and buried welled up, replacing the now with _then…_

_The smell as I opened my locker was cloying. The contents spilled around my feet, rancid, disgusting and oozing. I bent double, my stomach heaving as I emptied it. The odor was overpowering, making breathing near impossible as I heaved._

_A hand seized my hair, the grip like iron as it pulled me upright. I gulped air, trying to ignore the taste of vomit and the smell emanating from the locker. I had a moment to draw in a good lungful of air before I was shoved forward. I slammed my palms against the edges of the locker, trying to back up, but whoever held me was stronger and I was pushed forward, my arms buckling._

_My grip broke and I was shoved forward into the locker and I screamed as then became_ now...

 

“Let me out!” I slammed my fists against the metal again, trying to struggle in the confined space that I had been shoved into. The metal held against my efforts. I tried to use my powers, but just like when the man had grabbed me, nothing happened. “Let me out!”

 

“I admit,” a voice said, as clear as if it were right beside me, “I wasn’t expecting you to kill so many of my people. But you went right for the kill, didn’t you? You’re not at all the hero you’ve tried to paint yourself as, are you?”

 

“Let me out!” I screamed again, trying not to empty my stomach with the smell surrounding me.

 

The speaker went on, as if I hadn’t spoken. I recognized the voice now. Jack. “But then you were on the edge of something amazing and you backed down. You could have changed the world, and instead, you went back to being one of the sheep. How disappointing.”

 

“Shut up,” I said in a soft voice, my frantic efforts to beat the metal open halting.

 

“And then you couldn’t even make me bleed before we stuffed you in here,” he went on. “I was really disappointed then. All that potential, and you just cowered and cried.”

 

“Shut up,” I repeated.

 

“But I wonder what people would think if they knew what kind of person you really were?” he asked. “If they knew what you’ve done.”

 

 _What I’ve done?_ I opened my mouth to scream at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying even as now became _then…_

_The alleyway shook as I touched down, uncaring of whether or not I bled away the excess force. The concrete spiderwebbed beneath me as I touched down. Ahead, her breath echoing off the brick walls, ran my prey._

_“Emma~” I called out, almost singing her name as I drew it out. “Where are you going?”_

_Expletives answered me, garbled between screams for help. I allowed myself a chuckle. She still hadn’t realized that no one but me could hear her screaming. I started forward, the road beneath me smoothing out as I walked, leaving no trace of my impact._

_Emma was clawing at a wall, trying to gain purchase on the brick and climb over, to get away ._

_From me._

_“You can’t get away, Emma~,” I taunted, relishing her fear. This wasn’t like school, where my pleas for intervention fell on deaf ears, or where her father threatened me and my dad with legal action for slander. Here, all the power was mine._

_“Please,” the request was so soft that I almost didn’t hear it._

_My head tilted to one side. “Please?”_

_“Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered, ducking toward a door and yanking its handle in an effort to get it to open. When that failed, she stumbled backwards. One of her heels broke and she fell on her ass, crab-walking to get away from me until she had backed herself into a corner._

_“And why shouldn’t I?” I asked, almost as soft. “You, Madison, and Sophia did everything possible to hurt me. What makes you so special that you don’t deserve the same?”_

_The last word came out as an enraged sound from my throat. Every surface around us cracked, fine lines spreading out like spiderwebs. Glass dropped from shattered windows and Emma screamed._

_“Y-You’re not like that,” she gasped, holding her hands over her head to protect her from the falling glass, even as I diverted the shards, almost laughing as she flinched whenever a piece broke on the pavement near her._

_“Maybe I wasn’t,” I replied coldly. “But you three bitches changed that, didn’t you? You made me into this!”_

_I kicked a stone on the ground toward her, watching as it accelerated toward her. She yelped as it struck her arm, followed by another, then another, then more still._

_Emma screamed as the rain of stone slammed into her and then became_ now…

 

I shook my head, blinking. That hadn’t happened.

 

 _Hadn’t it?_ A voice whispered rebelliously.

 

“That wasn’t real!” I screamed, slamming a fist against the metal holding me captive. “I didn’t do that to her!”

 

“It’s denial, then?” Jack asked and I imagined he was shaking his head. “You did, though. And what about her companions? Madison, was it? And Sophia? Going to deny what you did to them too?”

 

“It wasn’t real!” I screamed again, even as his words evoked another image and now bled into _then_ …

 

_“Fucking bitch!” Sophia swore, swinging an arm at me. My power immediately reversed the momentum of her attack, but rather than sending her skidding away in a crying heap, her figure changed and she reappeared some distance away, breathing heavily._

_“You’re a cape…” I breathed, staring. It all made sense, suddenly. She was a Ward. Had to be. And the reason no one at Winslow did anything to stop her was because they had been told not to._

_“Gonna kill you!” she snarled, drawing a crossbow from behind her back._

_“You can’t,” I said coldly, gesturing. The weapon was torn from her hands, and she hissed, clutching a finger that was bent oddly. “There’s absolutely nothing you can do to me. I, on the the other hand…”_

_I stepped forward, the air crackling with electricity.  Sophia’s eyes widened in fear and she moved to do whatever it was that she had done before. Then she was screaming …_

 

“But don’t worry,” Jack was saying as I shook my head in denial. That hadn’t happened. I hadn’t done that! But it was so vivid, so real. Had I repressed it? Denying to myself the way Jack was saying?  I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. “Once we’re done, you’ll be as you should. I look forward to seeing what you can really do, Taylor Hebert.”

 

My eyes snapped open at the words. Now became then and I _remembered…_

 

_I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. The locker was cramped, the smell overpowering. No one was coming to let me out and nothing I did had any effect. I was going to… to…_

_Wisps of golden hair. Patterns of black and gold. A voice. Male? Female? I wasn’t sure._

_“I look forward to seeing what you can really do, Taylor Hebert.” There was a shift, of something twisting and then my vision whited out as numbers flooded my mind. Math. Calculations. It was too much for me to contain and I screamed..._

 

Now returned and I drew in a shuddering breath, the smell surrounding me forgotten. What had that been? The locker? But I didn’t remember much beyond the first few minutes of being there…

 

I took another breath. That was important, I knew somehow. But that would have to wait. Jack was still talking, but I tuned him out now, the uncertainty and confusion falling away. My hands traced the surface above me, then down the sides, ignoring the unpleasant feeling as things squished and something warm oozed over my bare arms.

 

My hand touched something rounded and hard. Closed around it.

 

Colin’s knife.

 

My hand thumbed the clasp holding it in place, drew it out.

 

“Colin,” I whispered. “I hope this does what you said it would.” I angled it upward, taking care to avoid stabbing myself without being able to properly see.

 

“...and I just know you’re going to see things my way,” Jack was saying as my thumb slid upward, finding the button that activated the weapon.

 

I squeezed my eyes shut as light flared. Heat washed over me as I drove the blade upward. Whatever held me here, that my fists had done nothing to, parted like paper before Colin’s tinker-knife.

 

I felt a rush of air untainted by the smell around me fill my lungs and I laughed, drawing the knife in an arc as light spilled across me. Sounds of surprise rang out and I heard movements, saw an indistinct shape reaching for me as my eyes adjusted to the light.

 

The hand holding the knife came around and I saw the figure rear back, falling in two directions.

 

Two directions?

 

It was like a veil parting. The calculations flared into my mind like lines of fire, probabilities and percentages tracing the lines of my vision. granting me my power again.

 

There. Twisting the current of air twenty degrees would dispel the lingering odor. Kinetic force was adjusted and the things that I couldn’t bear to look at, that caked across my arms and clothes, were blown away, leaving me pristine, as if I hadn’t been touched.

 

The receptacle that had held me exploded in every direction, flames eating away its contents as it disintegrated. I turned my attention to the only other person standing near me. the goateed face reflecting surprise even as he raised an arm, a knife flipping out into his hand.

 

I felt something ping my field and reflect as I gave vent to my temper. I screamed and the air warped between us. Jack’s face twisted for a moment even as cuts opened all across his body. I stared for a moment then flicked my hand in his direction.

 

Every piece of debris littering the ground around us stabbed into his body. He collapsed with a choked sound, twitching, then stilled.

 

For a long time, I merely stood there, the anger draining away from me. Jack was dead. Bonesaw. Shatterbird. Crawler. The other one I had stabbed with Colin’s knife. All dead. That only left...

 

A scream rent the air, not my own and I stretched my field out in preparation for defense as a figure in black and white appeared across from me.

 

_Siberian._

  
\--


	55. Chapter 55

I learned two things as Siberian charged, a scream on her lips.

 

The first? Whatever the Siberian was, it made about as much sense to me as Lily’s powers.

 

The second? While I didn’t have a handle on the confusing readings my power got when it touched her, she still moved in a fashion that I could affect.

 

Which was good, because watching her hands shred concrete like paper made me certain I didn’t want her to touch me. The ground erupted between us, debris hanging the in air. I touched the largest piece and they all rocketed at her.

 

To no noticeable effect as she continued her forward advance. Her arms came down in a strike that I was sure would kill if it hit me.

 

Air warped at my command, propelling me back. I felt the passage of her claws, saw strands of my hair floating before me. I drew an unsteady breath, my eyes widening. The effects of my field should have repelled her when she got that close!

 

Rage covered her face as she charged again. Air burst once more, driving me upward to evade. I looked down to see the Siberian looking up. She crouched and the ground cracked around her as she shot upward toward me, hands extended.

 

Air exploded between us, sending her tumbling back down. I remained where I was, watching as she landed easily and immediately looked up at me. I readied myself in case she tried to move again.

 

“If you will not come down,” she hissed, the venom in her voice making me flinch, “then I will seek other prey. I will tear apart anyone you care for and make you watch them bleed their life out.” With that, she turned, sprinting away, gaining speed rapidly.

 

Lily. Dinah. Lisa. Phillipe. Shawna. Colin. Their names ran through my mind. I didn’t even stop to think, tilting forward and slamming myself after her. I had failed to save my dad, I wouldn’t fail in saving them.

 

I just had to figure out how I was going to stop her.

 

* * *

 

Colin flinched as the freckled girl laid her hands on him. A moment passed and the injuries were gone. He drew in a shaky breath and nodded his thanks to Panacea. He had asked Dragon to call the girl even before they’d engaged the Siberian. It was a good thing they had, he thought as he looked over the members of his team in various states of injury. Most were being set to rights even as he watched, but others...

His eyes strayed away from the covered bodies being prepared for transport. The engagement with the Siberian had not gone as he had foreseen. It seemed like they had things in hand, at least in containing her away from civilians.

 

Then she had torn through them before taking off. He still didn’t know what had set her off like that.

 

“Dragon?” he asked, wincing at the intermittent bursts of static he was getting. His equipment was going to need work.

 

“I was tracking, but keeping eyes on her isn’t as easy as it sounds,” she replied. “I had a suit engage, but she tore through it and kept going.”

 

He frowned as he stood, nodding his thanks to the Dallon girl absently. What would have drawn her away from them …?

 

Cold certainty settled over him. “Do you have visual on Taylor?”

 

Silence.

 

“Dragon?”

 

“The Siberian is moving again, Colin,” Dragon said. “Taylor Hebert is in pursuit. They clashed briefly, from what I can tell, before the Siberian took off.”

 

“Destination?” he asked, focusing on the issue at hand.

 

“Unknown,” Dragon said. “But judging from her current course, the Siberian is headed toward Brockton Bay Memorial. She has been moving in a straight line with no deviations save when Taylor manages to close on her.”

 

“And the rest of the Nine? Jack? Bonesaw?” he asked, starting toward his motorcycle.

 

“I am uncertain regarding Bonesaw,” she replied. “However, Jack and Hatchet-face are both dead. I have visual confirmation from a surveillance unit.”

 

“Likely Bonesaw is as well,” he mused, drawing conclusions. “The Siberian intends to do the same to Taylor?”

 

“The conclusion is sound, based on what we have to go on.” Dragon agreed.

 

“Alright!” he called out, raising his voice as Panacea put the last of his people back up. “Here’s the plan. Glory Girl, I’m conscripting you.”

 

“Excuse me?” she asked, staring from where she stood near her sister.

 

“You’re taking your sister to Brockton Bay Memorial. I want Lisa Wilbourne and Dinah Alcott on their feet and moving in the next five minutes.”

 

“You can’t just-” Glory Girl began.

 

He stared at her. “I can. Did. Girl, there’s going to be a lot more dead people if we don’t stop the Siberian. I suspect that’s where she’s headed now. Now, get moving!” The last word was a commanding bark and Victoria Dallon stiffened, then after a soft exchange with her sister, departed with the healer in her arms.

 

“The rest of you,” he looked over them, drawing a breath in. “I won’t lie, we don’t have good odds on this, but we’re going to try. Our objective is to harass and divert the Siberian and support Taylor in a shot that will hopefully take her down.”

 

“Do you really think she can?” Assault asked, one arm protectively over Battery’s shoulders.

 

“I’m not relying on that as my sole victory condition,” he told him firmly. “With that in mind, the line-up for this is Velocity, Assault, Battery, Militia, me. Everyone else is to clear people off the streets as much as possible. Triumph, get on the line and arrange for Clockblocker to get here, if possible.” He looked them over again.

 

“Now, we’re down to only one more member of the Nine left, and that’s Siberian. I don’t want her leaving this city alive and we’re going to make that happen.” They all straightened under his gaze and nodded to him. “Good. Now let’s get moving.”

 

* * *

 

Trying to take out the Siberian was frustrating. Nothing I hit her with did anything, it just broke against her like she was impervious to damage. She kept moving, as well, leading me through populated areas that kept me from hitting her with my really powerful stuff. It wasn’t like Lung, where he regenerated from whatever I did. Nothing happened. Chunks of earth merely broke and she kept going, air accelerated to a cutting edge might as well have been a breeze.

 

But I had to find a way to stop her. What would happen if I didn’t was unacceptable.

 

I slammed a foot down as I ran and the ground beneath Siberian’s feet erupted, throwing her skyward. Rocks and debris slammed into her, twisting her around, but like before, she took no damage. A moment passed and then she gained her bearings and was bouncing from rock to rock back down.

 

“Oh no you don’t,” I snarled, pulling my hand back. The rock she landed on as I did so shifted in unison with my motion, carrying her with it.

 

I skidded to a halt and turned as she crashed to the ground, our positions reversed. Siberian got to her feet easily, again showing no signs of having been hurt in the slightest.

 

I looked around, seeing that the street was clear, the people who had been out having fled. This was as good as it was going to get.

 

Metal, stone, glass, the entire street and buildings erupted as I unleashed against her. Molten rock exploded upward, covering her. Water from fire hydrants struck it, thunderous cracks echoing as steam billowed up. It took no more than a second, the Siberian not even getting to move before a huge lump of smoking rock replaced where she had stood.

 

Then her fist shoved out of the side facing me, followed by the Siberian herself, simply tearing her way free with no difficulty. She took a step forward, then another, her pace increasing as she charged at me.

 

Lung’s plasma filled the air, bolt after bolt slamming into her.

 

The Siberian emerged from the onslaught undamaged, charging toward me still. Her arm came up and I brought a wall up between us.

 

It didn’t slow her down. Her arm came through it, reached me and I felt that twisting nausea as whatever she was made no sense to my power yet.

 

Pain.

 

I was laying down. I could feel water beneath me, soaking my clothes. And something digging into my back. Everything was bright. Too bright.

 

What had happened?

 

Sound hit my ears, a discordant noise that made me flinch in pain. It repeated steadily, growing louder. What was that?

 

I turned my head slowly, my vision focusing on a pair of legs, striped black and white, drawing closer. Rolling over onto my stomach made me want to scream as something in my chest protested. I put my hands on the ground, trying to push myself upward.

 

“Perhaps I’ll start with you first,” the woman said, walking slowly toward me, unhurried. “Hurt you, then make you watch before I kill you.”

 

Who was this? Kill me? What had I done?

 

Her footsteps drew closer as I managed to get to my knees, staring in her direction

 

Air rushed past me and there was a man standing between me and the woman. Clad in armor, with a long spear that glowed with a violet light around the blade.

 

I knew him.

 

“C-Colin?” I stammered, the effort to form words making me wince.

 

He didn’t respond, but I saw others arriving. A roar of engines and a transport deposited two others. A man and woman who stood together, one’s suit patterned with circuitry. An immense armored form crashed down behind them, hunched over and vaguely shaped like a dragon.

 

“Oh, I think that will be quite enough,” the man with the spear said, his voice hard as he faced the woman who had attacked me. Siberian. That was right.

 

Her teeth bared in a feral grin as she stared at Armsmaster. Then she turned to look in my direction.

 

“He will be first,” she said clearly. I tried to draw breath, to warn him, but words failed before a panic-induced fit of coughing and the Siberian charged.

 

Colin brought his halberd up and braced himself. The Siberian’s charge brought her closer and her hands curled into claws.

 

A blur of movement rushed past us, resolving into two figures directly behind her as she committed herself. The first, I knew. My encounter with him had started all of this, weeks ago. Velocity. The other was male, in a costume patterned with clocks. His hand stretched out as the Siberian began turning to face this new threat, tapping her back.

 

The Siberian winked out and he reeled back, clutching his head. “Ow! Damn, that hurt.”

 

“What the hell just happened?” one of the costumed men, not Velocity or the one with clocks asked.

 

“Quiet!” Colin barked, looking around. I could see his lips moving as if he were speaking, but heard nothing. Then he turned on his heel, facing another direction as the Siberian reappeared some distance away, coming toward us.

 

“Get her out of here,” he ordered, glancing in my direction. “She needs medical attention. Now.”

 

“No,” I croaked. “S-she’ll kill you.”

 

He nodded. “She’s fought the Triumvirate and walked away without a scratch.” He moved back, facing me. “But that doesn’t matter, Taylor. This is what I do. You’re in no shape to fight her.” He looked past me at the rest of the heroes who had come with him.

 

“Get her out of here, Velocity. You know where to take her. The rest of you, fall back, that’s an order,” he said, turning away to start forward, his gait even.

 

I started to push myself up, reaching out with my power to do something, but my concentration dissolved in a fresh wave of pain and coughing. When it cleared, I was moving, held in Velocity’s arms as the distance between us widened.

 

“N-no!” I stammered, trying to squirm free. “We can’t leave him!”

 

Velocity’s expression was largely unreadable, but I could sense unhappiness mingled with resolve in his voice. “We have our orders. I’m sorry.”

 

“Damnit, let me down!” I swore, resuming my ineffectual efforts to get free. “We can’t leave him! Colin!”

 

Armsmaster didn’t look by and my last sight of him was the Siberian closing on him before the distance made it too far for me to see anything meaningful.

 

I struggled the whole way, but as much as I could, I didn’t want to hurt Velocity and it would be stupidly easy with my powers. Before I could decide an action, he skidded to a halt in a warehouse, where various uniformed capes stood. Among them …

 

“Lisa!” I gasped, then winced as pain tore through me.

 

Amy Dallon approached and placed a hand on me and just like that, the pain vanished. I felt better than I had ever before.

 

“Hi,” Lisa said weakly. She had been healed, but her color still looked off. “Glad to see you’re okay.” Dinah sat next to her, looking worried, her lips moving rapidly. Was she processing numbers? What was she seeing?

 

“I…” I looked from her, to Dinah, then at Lily, Phillipe, and Shawna, swallowing heavily. All of them in one place.

 

“I know,” Lisa said with a trace of her usual grin. “But later, right? We don’t have a lot of time.”

 

“Colin,” I whispered, my mind going back to him. “The Siberian. Oh gods…”

 

“Listen!” Lisa said urgently. “I was being fed video. The Siberian’s a projection. I don’t know all the specifics yet, but someone’s generating her from nearby. The Siberian might be invincible…”

 

Understanding dawned. “But whoever is generating her isn’t.”

 

Lisa nodded. “Find the person responsible and take him out and this ends.”

 

I took a deep breath. “Ideas on range?”

 

“Incoming!” Battery yelled and part of the warehouse wall was torn away. Something crashed to the floor in front of me and for a moment, I didn’t understand what I was seeing. The armor was shattered, the halberd broken. And he was missing an arm.

 

Colin.

 

His chest rose and fell slowly, so I knew he wasn’t dead. I stared for a moment, then raised my gaze to where Siberian stood.

 

“He was the beginning,” she said. “You cannot stop me. You know this. I will rend asunder all of these people before your eyes as you watch. That is the future I will build for what you have done.”

 

My eyes narrowed. I looked at Colin, then to my friends before returning her gaze.

 

“Bitch,” I snarled. “You don’t have a future.”

 

The ground behind me rose up, dividing them from me. It wouldn’t stop her, but it would give them time to clear out. I hoped they would. In the same moment, Siberian began moving. I spun the sphere I had used against Leviathan and Lung into existence and let it fly.

 

She didn’t slow down, as convinced of her invincibility as ever. It hit and like when Clockknocker or whatever had touched her, she vanished.

 

And reappeared some distance away.

 

A projection, Lisa had said.

 

“I can’t stop you?” I asked, letting a mocking tone enter my voice. “What was that, then?”

 

“Inconvenience, nothing more,” she said. “It cannot truly harm me.”

 

“Let’s test that, shall we?” I replied, letting air lift me off the ground. I created another, adding Lung’s plasma to it before tossing it as well.

 

Again she tanked it, reappearing and starting toward me. I scanned the area, looking for anything that might give me a hint as to where the person generating her was at.

 

“I tire of this,” she finally said. “You lack the means to stop me. I will kill your friends now and finish what I began with that fool.” She started moving toward the wall I had erected, evading attacks that I was throwing at her.

 

“Taylor!” My head snapped around, seeing Lisa’s head poke up over the wall. She wobbled unsteadily, as if she were standing on someone’s shoulders. “The white truck! The projector’s in there!”

 

My eyes widened and I looked around, searching for any signs of that as the Siberian drew closer.

 

There was only one car moving in the area. A white panel truck that was moving away. I didn’t see anything else moving. I tossed a bolt of plasma toward it, hoping I wasn’t about to kill an innocent person.

 

The Siberian moved faster than I had seen her do before, intercepting the attack.

 

“Found you,” I whispered. I dropped to the ground in a rush. The moment my feet touched, the ground under her shot upward, a platform shaping that carried her higher and higher. I created another attack and let it fly toward her, then a second and let it fly as well.

 

But not at her.

 

She vanished as it hit and in that moment, the other I had flung struck the vehicle.

 

It didn’t stop until the truck was reduced to slag and the Siberian did not reappear.

  
It was over.


	56. Chapter 56

The worst part was the stares. Again. Despite the fact that the majority of the Slaughterhouse Nine were dead at my hands, the looks I was getting from people were, for the most part, less than friendly. They only saw the destruction that had occurred during my fights with them. The trails of devastation left by my fights with Crawler and then Siberian. 

And word had spread of what I had done when Bonesaw had given me my present.

I bit my lip hard, forcing that memory away. It was raining and I had let the water strike, soaking me as I stood there. I was grateful for it, this once, as my eyes stung even as I shoved my foot against the shovel, heaving another scoop of dirt into the empty space I had carved out. There was nothing there, though. There could never be anything there. 

And it was my fault.

I drove the shovel in again, pausing to take a breath. I was alone, for the moment. Well, I was alone at the spot as I worked. There were people nearby though, watching. They kept their distance, at my request. 

Another shovel of dirt dropped into the hole, then another. I had lost count of how many now, but it seemed no closer to being filled than when I started. Eventually it would be, though. Was I deliberately dragging my feet? A way of denying truth? If I didn’t finish this, then it wasn’t real?

I dropped another into the hole.

No. I couldn’t be doing that. As much as I wanted, Dad wasn’t going to come home from work ever again. Or make waffles on saturday mornings. Or his garlic bread that I loved.

And it was my fault.

I kept shoveling until the hole was filled, then used the shovel to flatten the wet dirt out. My eyes looked past the plot to where the stone had been placed. I stared at the matching headstones, trying to think of words, things to say, and failing.

“I… “ My voice cracked and I tried again. “I’m sorry I haven’t been by in a while, Mom. This isn’t how I intended my next visit, though. I thought I might be able to tell you about all the good I was doing, that I was making the bad people go away.”

I swallowed.

“But that isn’t how things are,” I went on. “The bad people came here, for me, and now everything is a mess. Half of Brockton Bay is trashed and it’s mostly my fault. People were hurt, killed. Some of them were my fault, too. I didn’t care what was in my way when trying to kill the people who had come after me.”

The next words caught in my throat and it was a long time before I could force them out. 

“I’m leaving a spot for Dad here, beside you,” I said. “It’s just an empty spot, though. I… what they did to him… I couldn’t leave him like that.”

My legs gave out and I dropped to my knees in the wet grass and mud. “I killed him. And burnt what they had done to him to ash. They did that to him to get to me.”

Wet hair fell across my face, shrouding my vision. “They wanted me. Because I have power. Or because they thought it would be fun. I don’t know why. It brought them here, I guess, the power I have. I can fight an Endbringer, but I can’t protect the people around me.”

“I made friends, and they got hurt,” I continued, drawing a shuddering breath. Speaking was getting harder. “Because of things I had done, or because they wanted to get at me, like with dad.”

My fist slammed into the grass in front of me. “It isn’t fair!” 

I turned my head skyward, the rain leaving tracks across my face as my eyes burned. “Why does shit like this happen? WHY?”

“Why?” I asked softly, but no voice answered me.

Annette Hebert. Daniel Hebert, the gravestones read, silent testament to what I had lost.

“I… thought I was strong enough after you were gone, Mom,” I said. “For a while, if I told myself that, I could believe it. But now.. with this… I realize I’m not. I don’t know what to do.”

I rose slowly and the only response was the rain continuing to fall. Mud stained my legs and the clothes I wore. I could have used my power to drive it away and leave them clean, but didn’t. There was no point.

“When I got these powers, I thought… I thought it made me untouchable,” I swallowed. “I could mute sound so anything I didn’t want to hear, I didn’t. I could keep anyone or anything from touching me.”

“It’s a lie, though,” My throat seized up for a moment before I continued. “All this power and it doesn’t really make me untouchable. I… figured that out too late.”

“I’m sorry, Dad!” I screamed, bending double as my eyes began burning again and I knew the liquid running down my cheeks wasn’t just rain. “I’m sooooorrrrrry….” My arms wrapped around my sides and I drew in gulping breaths, losing myself as the things I had been bottling up overwhelmed.

…

…

Arms circling around me. Someone had come. 

I swallowed, looking up slowly from the broad chest to see who had put their arms around me.

Colin stood there, his expression one of concern.

I buried my face against his shirt, fresh sobs pouring forth against the cloth.

“I-It isn’t fuh-fair!” I cried, unsure if he even understood what I was saying. “Why d-did it have to buh-be my Dad?”

“You’re right,” he said softly. “It isn’t. And that’s something that I had to learn to accept a long time ago.”

I fell silent, wrestling with my breathing as he went on. “But even so, it’s something that I, that we, can change. It won’t make what happened go away, but… it’ll mean you can build something that he would be proud of.”

“Proud?” I echoed bitterly. “How could he be proud of anything I do? I’m the reason he’s DEAD!”

My fists slammed against his chest as fury overwhelmed me, but he merely stood there as I beat at him. 

“He’s dead because a sick man decided to come after you,” Colin said. “If it hadn’t been you, Taylor, it would have been someone else. I told you, Jack’s ruined a lot of people. But he can’t do that ever again. Because of you.”

He took a deep breath. “No, the cost isn’t something you should have had to pay and if I could fix it so that you hadn’t, I would. Your dad wouldn’t want you to let Jack ruin you after the fact and you know that.”

I tried to speak, but he went on without letting me. “Forward, Taylor. You can’t follow where what you’re thinking goes. It’s a worse place than anything you’ve seen before and you’re better than that. I know it. Your dad did too.”

“I…” I swallowed. “It hurts.”

“It does,” he agreed. “And it will. But it’ll hurt less, eventually. And every day that you go forward and do things, live without giving in to what Jack wanted you to become, is a day that you’re being someone that your dad would be proud of.”

Would he, I wondered silently. Colin seemed certain. But I wasn’t so sure. I turned my head, staring at the gravestones past his arm, my breathing returning to something resembling normal.

“I… I don’t know…” I said. “I… people will get hurt near me… They already did… Lisa.. Dinah… You. Because you were close to me… What happens next time? You’re better off leaving me alone!”

“I do,” Colin said with gentle firmness. “It will get better. And that isn’t going to happen. People can get hurt, whether near you or not. You can’t make their decisions for them on whether to be close to you. Not Lisa’s, Not Dinah’s, and certainly not mine.”

“But… Siberian tore your arm off! And would have done more! Because I knew you!”

“And my arm is fine now,” he said, raising it. “I’ll need to work to get it in proper shape, but injury is something that could happen. I could go out and fight Kaiser and have the same thing happen. That’s my choice. You didn’t force me to fight the Siberian, Taylor. I did that myself. Because it was the right thing to do. And I would do it again, if necessary.”

I stared at him. “Why?”

He half-smiled. “Because you’re my friend. Or at least, I think of you as one. And I protect my friends.”

“You protect everyone,” I retorted.

Colin’s head dipped in agreement. “I suppose I do. But it doesn’t make what I said less true.”

I didn’t look at him for a long time, then stepped back slowly. He let me, though one arm rested on my shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze.

“I.. I think I’m ready to go,” I hesitantly said. He said nothing and I looked at the gravestones again. And the hole that I had filled. Colin seemed content to wait as I stepped around him and stared at them, thinking of what I wanted to say.

“I love you, Dad, Mom,” I murmured finally. “And I’m sorry. I’ll do better. I promise.”

I turned as I finished speaking and left, Colin following in silence.

* * *

The rubble of the house mocked me. The rain had stopped, at least, but now I was staring at what remained of the house that donations and public support had produced. And there was even less of it than of my old house. And I couldn’t blame Crawler for this. He had done some damage, sure, but it had been my actions that had blown the rest of the house apart.

“I’m sorry, guys,” I said, unwilling to turn to look at the others that were standing behind me for fear of what I would see. “I think I blew up all of your stuff.”

“It’s only stuff,” Phillipe said, leaning in to sling an arm over my shoulders. “The important part is that you’re okay.”

I opened my mouth to say something. What, exactly, I wasn’t sure, but Dinah came up beside me, standing close and drawing my attention. She had been healed by Amy Dallon, but still looked pale. I wasn’t sure why, as she hadn’t talked about it, but I guess it was something she had seen.

“You okay?” I asked her, earning a slow nod.

“It hurt and the numbers kept changing so much. I couldn’t see what was going to happen.” She swallowed, looking even paler, if that were possible. “Some of the numbers were really frightening.”

I slid an arm onto her shoulders. “I can’t see the numbers, but it was pretty frightening for me too. Now?”

“Better,” she said, relaxing. “There’s still…” She trailed off.

“Still?”

Dinah shook her head. “Later.” She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped away, a haunted look on her face. I frowned but let her. Whatever it was, I would have to ask her later.

“Done with your secret whispering?” Shawna asked.

“Yeah,” I said, glancing at the ruined house briefly. “Yeah, we’re done here.”

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Lily asked, glancing at me, then the others. “Because I can’t be the only one who thinks this is a phenomenally bad idea, can I?”

Lisa’s usual grin was entirely absent. “The PRT’s higher ups are pulling a full investigation of what happened here, with the likelihood that certain groups with an agenda will try and put the screws to Taylor to make her do what they say. I can’t imagine why this would be upsetting to you.”

I snorted at her tone as my eyes tracked along the devastation I had left in pursuit of Crawler. “Noise, that’s all. Nothing outside of my ability to affect.”

“Don’t be entirely hostile,” Lisa cautioned, despite her previous mocking. “They’ll look to slant how things played out, blame as much as possible on you as a way to limit your options. When they hassled you after Leviathan, they didn’t have much they could use as leverage. That’s not the case now.”

“I know,” I said, fishing in my pocket. “And first is this waste of my time appointment. I should just not go. I don’t need to talk to someone I don’t know about how I feel.”

“Wait, I hadn’t heard about this,” Phillipe said. “They’re wanting you to go to a shrink?”

I shrugged, drawing the paper with the time and location out. “To determine what sort of effect my recent experiences have had on my state of mind.”

“They want to prod and have you respond unfavorably,” Lisa said, drawing everyone’s attention. “To give them more ammunition. Whoever you have to talk to will try and needle you, prod sore spots.”

“What isn’t one, right now?” I asked with no small amount of bitterness in my voice. “I’ll be fine. I’ll participate in their little circus exactly as long as it suits me.”

“And then what?” Lily asked.

I smiled and judging from the looks they gave me, it wasn’t a nice one. “Then we’ll see. I think there’s some sort of bounty for that bunch of assholes, so once I’ve got that, I’ll replace all the stuff I blew up.”

“Taylor,” Phillipe said, moving in front of me. “You know we really don’t care about the stuff, right?”

“You might not,” I replied. “But I do. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you guys for lunch.” I slipped around him, then went airborne, moving away before anything else could be said. 

* * *

The room bothered me for some reason. I wasn’t sure why. Was it the color? A shade of peach that seemed off in some way that I couldn’t place. Or the fact that I was sure every single painting on the wall was slightly off. In either case, none of that bothered me as much as the person sitting behind the desk across from me.

He was shorter than me, with hair that appeared unwashed and an expression that left me feeling unclean. I didn’t like him and part of me wondered if he was chosen specifically for how off-putting he appeared. His suit was a poor fit, and he never met my eyes for very long. They were always drifting off, as if he were uncomfortable.

I broke the silence first. “I don’t exactly know why I’m here.”

He began arranging the papers on his desk in a fussy, precise manner. “There are concerns regarding your state of mind after your experience. I’ve been tasked with assessing that.”

“For some reason,” I said, restraining myself from rolling my eyes. “I have severe doubts about your ability to assess anything related to my state of mind or experiences.”

Surprisingly, he did not appear to be offended, merely curious. “And why is that?”

“Four days ago, I was subjected to a campaign intended to drive me insane. As a result of that, I killed my father out of mercy because that was preferable to what had been done to him. Tell me, what sort of experiences have you had that qualify you to assess anything I’ve been through?” I asked, turning to look at him directly.

He flushed and laced his fingers together. “Taylor … Sorry, may I call you Taylor?”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” I replied.

“Ms. Hebert, then,” he amended. “While I admit I haven’t had the same experiences that you have, I do have extensive experience consulting those who have suffered traumatic situations.”

I stared for a moment, considering his reply. He claimed that, but didn’t explain what made him so.

“Precisely how are you qualified?” I asked. “You’ve spoken to a lot of people who have had their lives torn apart by Jack Slash, is that it? Or had their father, wife, or some other family member mutilated into something unrecognizable? Tell me, please.”

“Let’s talk about your father, shall we?” he queried.

“Let’s not,” I answered. “There’s nothing I care to share with you about him.”

“Ms. Hebert, I do have to ask these questions,” he murmured. “Unpleasant as they may be. You hold a great deal of power. That makes many people uncomfortable and they have reservations about how you respond to potentially stressful situations given your recent trials.”

He linked his fingers together in the center of the desk. “As I possess no special abilities like you, I am sure you’re aware that I am no threat to you. Would it not be ideal to address how your recent experiences have affected you in a situation where you have control?”

“I’ve no desire to revisit what I went through,” I told him bluntly. “There’s exactly nothing that is gained by doing so.”

“Clarity, understanding,” he murmured. “Acceptance?”

“Clarity?” I echoed. “There was plenty of that. Understanding? I’ll admit I don’t quite understand what he hoped to gain. And frankly, I don’t want to. Acceptance?”

I stood up, putting my hands flat on the desk. “Accepting that I killed my dad because of what they did to him isn’t something I am keen on.”

I straightened. “I don’t think there’s any point to my being here.”

“Ms. Hebert, I do have to present a report to the PRT of our meeting,” he cautioned. “They are not likely to react well to your refusal to cooperate.”

“The extent of my interest in how they will react or not is so small that you might suggest I don’t care at all about that,” I replied. “There’s nothing they can do to me.”

“Perhaps not to you, no,” he agreed. “But your friends? Do they share your apparent immunity to harm?”

I tilted my head, considering the question. My silence apparently disturbed him as the color drained slowly from his face. 

“Let me be as clear as possible,” I began. “For your report, for whoever is undoubtedly listening in. If anyone should decide it is a good idea to harass my friends or harm them in any way, there will be nowhere they can hide from me. Nothing and no one will protect them from what I’ll do.” He said nothing as I turned with the last word and walked out of the room.

* * *

I had been waiting in the room for a while. There was a camera in the corner of one ceiling, that tracked my every movement. But beyond that, I had seen no one since being shown to the nearly bare room. With no one to talk to, I was bored. And impatient. I wanted to be done with this entire thing. The higher-ups in the PRT were going to drag this out, I was sure, to upset me, like Lisa had said. 

Making me wait was likely part of that, I guessed. Perhaps the intent was to have me irritated and impatient so I would be easier to rile?

I sighed and drew my finger casually across the arm of the chair, severing a piece of the polished wood. The chair was mostly uncomfortable, lacking any padding anywhere to strip away. Which was good for what I wanted. The block of wood floated up into the air, rotating lazily as I looked at it. 

A thought and I redirected some of its momentum, splitting it into six pieces. Four were the same size, one was smaller than the four and the last was larger. I let the five rotate lazily above me as the largest piece turned in the air above my hand.

Fixing the image in my mind, I began chipping and shaping it. By the time I had something resembling my intent, I was fighting the urge to laugh. What was supposed to be a representation of Armsmaster looked more like an angry dwarf with a spear. I stared at it for a moment, then began work on a second. If I was going to be made to wait, I was going to amuse myself.

The last one was finished when I heard the door knob click. I eyed the figures floating in the air, tiny replicas of my friends, even if they weren’t the most accurate. I smiled at them, then let them drop into my hand as I turned my attention to the opening door.

Lisa stepped into the room, her eyes flicking from me to the tiny figures I held. Her lips quirked in what was almost a smile. I wondered what her power was telling her about them.

“They want me now?” I asked, standing and dusting off my pants of any wood shavings. I hadn’t bothered to dress up for this. They could accept me as I was or not at all. It didn’t matter to me.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked, frowning. “This won’t exactly make them your friend, you know.”

I shrugged. “What are they going to do to me that hasn’t been done? There isn’t anyone that can force me to do anything I don’t want to.”

She rubbed the sides of her temples. “I get that. But is being confrontational the way to go?”

“They won’t stop trying to find a way,” I said. “Maybe this isn’t the best idea, but it’s what I’ve got. This.. there’s no reason to stay.” I looked at her and her frown dissolved into a grin.

“It’s a good thing I made arrangements for you.” Lisa said as she turned, then paused. “You know they’ll stop you, right?”

“They’ll try,” I corrected, matching her grin with one of my own, however forced it felt. I didn’t wait for her to reply as I walked out of the room, heading for the conference hall.

There were several people seated on a raised platform. I recognized some of them from the meeting after Leviathan. I hadn’t liked them then and nothing had changed my opinion since.

“Now that you’re here, we can continue,” one of them said, looking down at me from where he stood.

“No,” I said and he blinked.

“Excuse me?” he said, a hint of red appearing in his face.

“I said no,” I told him. “I’m not going to participate in this. I’m leaving.”

“You will not!” he said, his voice raising. I saw Colin standing nearby, in his armor, looking impassive.

“Yes, I will,” I contradicted. “A lot of bad things happened, yes. The Nine are dead. I… can’t stay here. I’m taking a bit of the bounty for myself. The rest is going to help Brockton Bay rebuild.” 

I looked around the room at the people there, took a deep breath. “But I’m done. Staying here isn’t possible.” I met the eyes of those I had grown close to, nodding to each in turn.

I met Colin’s gaze last and saw his head incline slightly. I nodded back and turned on my heel, ignoring the shouting from the PRT representatives.

*

“You’re sure you don’t want to come with?” I asked as I shouldered my backpack.

Lisa shook her head. “I’m going to manage things here. Rebuild the shelter. Phillipe and Shawna decided to stay here and are going to help. Lily too, I think. I’ll keep money flowing if you need it.”

“I meant what I said about the bounty,” I told her, eliciting a snort.

“Please, give me a bit of credit,” she said. “I won’t be touching that. I have other sources to draw from.” She scuffed at the floor with her foot for a moment.

“You obviously want to ask something,” I pointed out. “What is it?”

“Will you be coming back?” 

I looked off toward the bay. The devastation wrought by my fight with the Nine was like a scar across the city from where we stood at the memorial. I felt my heart clench for a moment before I sighed.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” I finally said. Lisa nodded, as if she had expected that answer.

“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” she murmured, stepping close to hug me before turning and moving away quickly. I stood there for a long moment, then turned as well, intending to leave.

I stopped before I had even taken two steps, my eyes widening.

“I want to come with you,” Dinah said, a backpack slung across her own shoulder.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “You have your uncle…”

She shook her head. “The numbers for me… I don’t like them.”

“Who am I to argue with the precog?” I replied, moving to stand beside her. “If you’re sure it’s what you want, then I’d be happy to have you along.” Dinah’s face split in a smile as we started walking away from the memorial site and Brockton Bay.


End file.
